Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 3.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone, 2013–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone is 3.8%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 55.5% on the previous year and down 90.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone peaked at 48.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2024.
Sierra Leone ranks 108th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 40.7% | — |
| 2015 | 41.1% | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 38.7% | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 38.6% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 48.6% | +25.9% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | -53.1% |
| 2020 | 24.0% | +5.3% |
| 2021 | 14.5% | -39.6% |
| 2022 | 6.8% | -53.0% |
| 2023 | 8.5% | +24.9% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | -55.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 3.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 39.7%, 10% of the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 3.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.3%, 13% of the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 38.4% | 22.8% | 48.6% | 6 |
| 2020s | 11.5% | 3.8% | 24.0% | 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone was 3.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 48.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sierra Leone ranks 108th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 90.7%. 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 Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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