Government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Government expenditure on education, total was 20.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone, 2000–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 20.5% for government expenditure on education, total in 2025.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 36.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone peaked at 35.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.4%, in 2011.
That places Sierra Leone 14th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 20.7% | — |
| 2001 | 18.0% | -13.3% |
| 2002 | 17.7% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 17.3% | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 17.1% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 15.5% | -9.6% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | +27.3% |
| 2008 | 14.9% | -24.4% |
| 2009 | 15.9% | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 12.8% | -19.5% |
| 2011 | 12.4% | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 14.1% | +13.9% |
| 2013 | 15.2% | +7.6% |
| 2014 | 15.1% | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 12.5% | -17.4% |
| 2017 | 19.9% | +59.5% |
| 2018 | 32.7% | +64.6% |
| 2019 | 35.0% | +7.0% |
| 2020 | 34.2% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 33.4% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 29.4% | -12.1% |
| 2024 | 20.0% | -32.0% |
| 2025 | 20.5% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 17.4% | 14.9% | 20.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.9% | 12.4% | 35.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 27.5% | 20.0% | 34.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 11 Botswana 21.5% compare
- 12 Senegal 20.9% compare
- 13 Dominican Republic 20.9% compare
- 15 Mozambique 20.4% compare
- 16 Costa Rica 20.4% compare
- 17 Burkina Faso 20.3% 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 government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Sierra Leone was 20.5% in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 35.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.4% in 2011.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Sierra Leone ranks 14th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is government expenditure on education, total rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.