Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary was 37.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone, 2012–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone stood at 37.2%.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 44.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone peaked at 68.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 35.8%, in 2022.
That places Sierra Leone 41st out of 179 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 62.9% | — |
| 2013 | 67.5% | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 65.0% | -3.8% |
| 2016 | 68.4% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 62.0% | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 57.8% | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 57.4% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 35.8% | -37.7% |
| 2023 | 38.3% | +7.0% |
| 2024 | 37.2% | -2.9% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 37.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 57.9%, 64% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 37.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.8%, 85% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 63.9% | 57.8% | 68.4% | 6 |
| 2020s | 42.1% | 35.8% | 57.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 38 Iran, Islamic Republic of 40.2% compare
- 39 Ethiopia 37.4% compare
- 40 Gambia 37.3% compare
- 42 Saudi Arabia 35.6% compare
- 43 Liberia 34.8% compare
- 44 Papua New Guinea 34.7% compare
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 one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone?
- Out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary in Sierra Leone was 37.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 68.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.8% in 2022.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary?
- Sierra Leone ranks 41st out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children one year before the official primary rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 44.9%. 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 one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release