Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education was 97.5% in 2012. ◆ Volatile
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone, 1820–2012
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone is 97.5%, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 5.3% on the previous year.
Over the whole period, gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone peaked at 97.5% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Sierra Leone 53rd out of 190 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1840 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1845 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1850 | 0.0% | +100.0% |
| 1855 | 0.0% | +50.0% |
| 1860 | 0.0% | +0.0% |
| 1865 | 0.0% | +33.3% |
| 1870 | 0.1% | +50.0% |
| 1875 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.1% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 0.1% | +30.0% |
| 1890 | 0.2% | +38.5% |
| 1895 | 0.2% | +27.8% |
| 1900 | 0.3% | +34.8% |
| 1905 | 0.4% | +32.3% |
| 1910 | 0.5% | +31.7% |
| 1915 | 0.7% | +31.5% |
| 1920 | 0.9% | +31.0% |
| 1925 | 1.2% | +32.3% |
| 1930 | 1.6% | +31.7% |
| 1935 | 2.1% | +30.9% |
| 1940 | 2.8% | +31.6% |
| 1945 | 3.6% | +30.8% |
| 1950 | 4.8% | +30.7% |
| 1955 | 6.3% | +32.5% |
| 1960 | 12.8% | +101.7% |
| 1965 | 17.9% | +40.0% |
| 1970 | 22.1% | +23.8% |
| 1975 | 23.8% | +7.7% |
| 1980 | 38.2% | +60.7% |
| 1983 | 39.4% | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 92.6% | +135.0% |
| 2012 | 97.5% | +5.3% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 97.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 68.3%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 97.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 86.4%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education 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 | +135.0% | 39.4% | 92.6% |
| 1960 | +101.7% | 6.3% | 12.8% |
| 1850 | +100.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 1.9% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1940s | 3.2% | 2.8% | 3.6% | 2 |
| 1950s | 5.5% | 4.8% | 6.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 15.3% | 12.8% | 17.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 23.0% | 22.1% | 23.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 38.8% | 38.2% | 39.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 95.1% | 92.6% | 97.5% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone?
- Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Sierra Leone was 97.5% in 2012, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 2012.
- What is the lowest gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 53rd out of 190 countries with data for 2012.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender gap in primary, secondary and tertiary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of girls of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.