Literacy rates among adults in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Literacy rates among adults was 43.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
43.6%
Change on year
down 10.7%
World rank
83rd
of 89 countries
All-time high
49.4%
in 2015
All-time low
34.8%
in 2004
Years of data
6
2004–2019
Literacy rates among adults 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 43.6% for literacy rates among adults in 2019.
The figure is down 10.7% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Sierra Leone peaked at 49.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 2004.
Sierra Leone ranks 83rd of 89 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 34.8% | 34.8% | 34.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 46.2% | 43.6% | 49.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 80 Benin 51.4% compare
- 81 Senegal 50.4% compare
- 82 Cote d'Ivoire 50.0% compare
- 84 Burkina Faso 41.6% compare
- 85 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 86 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 37.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 162.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 46,575 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.7 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 166.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rates among adults in Sierra Leone?
- Literacy rates among adults in Sierra Leone was 43.6% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 49.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Sierra Leone ranks 83rd out of 89 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rates among adults rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. 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 rates among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.