Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 82,889 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone, 2012–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone is 82,889, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 37.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone peaked at 141,044 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 77,341, in 2022.
That places Sierra Leone 42nd out of 180 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 120,803 | — |
| 2013 | 132,086 | +9.3% |
| 2015 | 132,202 | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 141,044 | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 129,980 | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 122,616 | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 95,939 | -21.8% |
| 2021 | 122,127 | +27.3% |
| 2022 | 77,341 | -36.7% |
| 2023 | 84,147 | +8.8% |
| 2024 | 82,889 | -1.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 82,889 is below the median for low income countries, which is 298,810, 28% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 82,889 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 97,400, 85% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 129,788 | 120,803 | 141,044 | 6 |
| 2020s | 92,489 | 77,341 | 122,127 | 5 |
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 out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone was 82,889 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 141,044 in 2016.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 77,341 in 2022.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Sierra Leone ranks 42nd out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 37.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release