Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Official entrance age to compulsory education was 6 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
6 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 205 countries
All-time high
6 years
in 2004
All-time low
6 years
in 2004
Years of data
22
2004–2025
Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone, 2004–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone is 6 years, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone peaked at 6 years in 2004 and was at its lowest, 6 years, in 2004.
That places Sierra Leone 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 6 years | 6 years | 6 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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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 official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone?
- Official entrance age to compulsory education in Sierra Leone was 6 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 6 years in 2004.
- What is the lowest official entrance age to compulsory education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 6 years in 2004.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for official entrance age to compulsory education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 21st out of 205 countries with data for 2025.
- Is official entrance age to compulsory education rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Official entrance age to compulsory education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The official age for entering compulsory education is based on students starting at the earliest entrance age, studying full-time, and advancing without grade repetition or skipping.