Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP was 3,075.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sierra Leone, 2007–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sierra Leone stood at 3,075.7%. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 129,659.0% on the previous year and up 403,261.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sierra Leone peaked at 3,075.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2017.
That places Sierra Leone 1st out of 162 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 0.8% | — |
| 2008 | 0.7% | -7.8% |
| 2009 | 0.8% | +15.6% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | +6.9% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 0.8% | -13.4% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | -12.0% |
| 2017 | 0.6% | -6.7% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | +125.5% |
| 2019 | 1.8% | +30.4% |
| 2020 | 2.1% | +18.4% |
| 2021 | 2.6% | +22.3% |
| 2022 | 2.4% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 3,075.7% | +129658.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 3,075.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 1.6%, 1929.9× the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 3,075.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.6%, 1980.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +129658.7% | 2.4% | 3,075.7% |
| 2018 | +125.5% | 0.6% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 3 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.8% | 9 |
| 2020s | 770.7% | 2.1% | 3,075.7% | 4 |
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 government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sierra Leone?
- Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp in Sierra Leone was 3,075.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 3,075.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2017.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp?
- Sierra Leone ranks 1st out of 162 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 403,261.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Government expenditure on primary education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release