Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both was 27.3% in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
27.3%
Change on year
down 25.7%
World rank
21st
of 71 countries
All-time high
41.1%
in 2008
All-time low
27.3%
in 2019
Years of data
5
2008–2019

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone, 2008–2019

0102030402008201320192008: 41.1 %2010: 33.7 %2013: 37.8 %2017: 36.8 %2019: 27.3 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2019, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone stood at 27.3%. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 25.7% on the previous year and down 33.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone peaked at 41.1% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 27.3%, in 2019.

That places Sierra Leone 21st out of 71 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (household survey data) (%) in Sierra Leone, 2008 to 2019.
Year % Change
2008 41.1%
2010 33.7% -18.0%
2013 37.8% +12.1%
2017 36.8% -2.7%
2019 27.3% -25.7%

Sierra Leone compared with similar countries

  • Sierra Leone's 27.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 43.7%, 63% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
  • Sierra Leone's 27.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.7%, 63% of the median. (21 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 41.1% 41.1% 41.1% 1
2010s 33.9% 27.3% 37.8% 4

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 18 Bangladesh 37.7% compare
  2. 19 Cameroon 37.5% compare
  3. 20 Malawi 33.8% compare
  4. 22 Ghana 25.1% compare
  5. 23 Mexico 24.0% compare
  6. 24 El Salvador 21.7% compare

See the full ranking of 71 places →

More education data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone was 27.3% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 41.1% in 2008.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 27.3% in 2019.
How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both?
Sierra Leone ranks 21st out of 71 countries with data for 2019.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is down 33.5%. 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-household-survey-2/sierra-leone/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (household survey data) (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
71 places, 848 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release