Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest was 17.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone, 2008–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 17.9% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 47.4% on the previous year and down 65.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone peaked at 52.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 17.9%, in 2019.
Sierra Leone ranks 12th of 36 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 52.3% | — |
| 2010 | 41.1% | -21.4% |
| 2013 | 38.0% | -7.5% |
| 2017 | 33.9% | -10.7% |
| 2019 | 17.9% | -47.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 17.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 26.6%, 67% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 17.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.7%, 60% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 52.3% | 52.3% | 52.3% | 1 |
| 2010s | 32.7% | 17.9% | 41.1% | 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 children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone was 17.9% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 52.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.9% in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest?
- Sierra Leone ranks 12th out of 36 countries with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, poorest rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.8%. 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 children of primary school age, poorest 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