Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher was 33.5% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone, 2003–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 33.5% for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in 2019. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 52.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone peaked at 33.5% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 22.0%, in 2004.
Sierra Leone ranks 128th of 136 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 24.8% | — |
| 2004 | 22.0% | -11.5% |
| 2017 | 32.1% | +45.9% |
| 2018 | 32.6% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 33.5% | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 23.4% | 22.0% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 32.7% | 32.1% | 33.5% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 46,575 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 37.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 162.12 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 162.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone?
- Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone was 33.5% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 33.5% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.0% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Sierra Leone ranks 128th out of 136 countries with data for 2019.
- Is educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher, population 25+ years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release