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 16.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone, 2008–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone stood at 16.4%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is down 20.2% on the previous year and down 53.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone peaked at 35.5% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 16.4%, in 2019.
That places Sierra Leone 14th out of 36 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 35.5% | — |
| 2010 | 20.4% | -42.4% |
| 2013 | 26.4% | +29.2% |
| 2017 | 20.6% | -22.0% |
| 2019 | 16.4% | -20.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 16.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 21.9%, 75% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 16.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.1%, 74% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.5% | 35.5% | 35.5% | 1 |
| 2010s | 21.0% | 16.4% | 26.4% | 4 |
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 16.4% in 2019, 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 35.5% in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.4% in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Sierra Leone ranks 14th out of 36 countries with data for 2019.
- 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 53.7%. 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age, rural, middle quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release