Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary female in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary female was 23.8% 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 23.8% 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 3.9% on the previous year and up 69.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher in Sierra Leone peaked at 23.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 14.0%, in 2004.
That places Sierra Leone 129th out of 136 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Educational attainment rate, completed primary … primary female in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 17.6% | — |
| 2004 | 14.0% | -20.1% |
| 2017 | 22.2% | +58.0% |
| 2018 | 23.0% | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 23.8% | +3.9% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 23.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.8%, 1.0× the median. (11 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 23.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 41.4%, 58% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 15.8% | 14.0% | 17.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 23.0% | 22.2% | 23.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.5 (2012)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.37 (2023)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 38,043 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 73,295 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 85,708 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 92,723 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.16 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.52 % change on previous year (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 23.8% 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 23.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.0% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for educational attainment rate, completed primary education or higher?
- Sierra Leone ranks 129th 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 69.8%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release