Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of primary school teachers who are women was 33.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone, 1975–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone stood at 33.8%.
The figure is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone peaked at 38.4% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 21.9%, in 1983.
That places Sierra Leone 201st out of 212 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 24.3% | — |
| 1976 | 24.0% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 25.3% | +5.5% |
| 1978 | 25.3% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 21.9% | -13.4% |
| 1984 | 22.0% | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 22.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 28.2% | +28.2% |
| 1989 | 29.4% | +4.3% |
| 2001 | 38.4% | +30.4% |
| 2011 | 25.1% | -34.7% |
| 2012 | 25.6% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 27.1% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 27.8% | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 29.0% | +4.3% |
| 2017 | 26.9% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 29.6% | +10.0% |
| 2019 | 29.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 30.8% | +3.0% |
| 2021 | 31.3% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 32.7% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 33.1% | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 33.8% | +2.1% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 33.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 44.1%, 77% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 33.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 70% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | -34.7% | 38.4% | 25.1% |
| 2001 | +30.4% | 29.4% | 38.4% |
| 1988 | +28.2% | 22.0% | 28.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24.7% | 24.0% | 25.3% | 4 |
| 1980s | 24.7% | 21.9% | 29.4% | 5 |
| 2000s | 38.4% | 38.4% | 38.4% | 1 |
| 2010s | 27.6% | 25.1% | 29.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 32.4% | 30.8% | 33.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 198 Cote d'Ivoire 37.9% compare
- 199 Djibouti 37.4% compare
- 200 Senegal 34.5% compare
- 202 Falkland Islands 33.3% compare
- 203 Haiti 32.4% compare
- 204 Democratic Republic of Congo 32.4% 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 share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone?
- Share of primary school teachers who are women in Sierra Leone was 33.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of primary school teachers who are women recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.9% in 1983.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of primary school teachers who are women?
- Sierra Leone ranks 201st out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of primary school teachers who are women rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary school teachers who are women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of female teachers among all teachers at the primary education level during a given school year.