Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Literacy rate of young men vs. women was 78.2% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone, 2004–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 78.2% for literacy rate of young men vs. women in 2019.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.1% on the previous year and up 6.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone peaked at 81.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 59.6%, in 2004.
Sierra Leone ranks 87th of 95 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 59.6% | — |
| 2008 | 73.6% | +23.4% |
| 2013 | 79.7% | +8.3% |
| 2015 | 72.9% | -8.5% |
| 2017 | 78.7% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 81.6% | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 78.2% | -4.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 66.6% | 59.6% | 73.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 78.2% | 72.9% | 81.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone?
- Literacy rate of young men vs. women in Sierra Leone was 78.2% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate of young men vs. women recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 81.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate of young men vs. women recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.6% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for literacy rate of young men vs. women?
- Sierra Leone ranks 87th out of 95 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate of young men vs. women rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.3%. 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 Literacy rate of young men vs. women. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of men aged 15 to 24 years who can read and write.