Expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Expenditure on primary education was 31.0% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone, 2007–2018
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure on education.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 31.0% for expenditure on primary education in 2018.
That represents a change of up 52.2% on the previous year and down 38.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone peaked at 52.6% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2017.
Sierra Leone ranks 86th of 149 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure on education | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 52.0% | — |
| 2008 | 50.2% | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 48.9% | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 50.7% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 52.6% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 49.5% | -5.8% |
| 2013 | 48.9% | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 43.1% | -11.8% |
| 2016 | 35.7% | -17.3% |
| 2017 | 20.4% | -42.8% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | +52.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 50.4% | 48.9% | 52.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 41.5% | 20.4% | 52.6% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 83 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 31.5%
- 84 Belize 31.4% compare
- 85 Pakistan 31.1% compare
- 87 Congo 31.0%
- 88 Seychelles 30.6% compare
- 89 Guyana 30.6% compare
More education data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.2393 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone?
- Expenditure on primary education in Sierra Leone was 31.0% in 2018, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest expenditure on primary education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 52.6% in 2011.
- What is the lowest expenditure on primary education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2017.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for expenditure on primary education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 86th out of 149 countries with data for 2018.
- Is expenditure on primary education rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 38.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.