Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest was 49.4% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone, 2008–2019
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 49.4% for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 24.7% on the previous year and down 30.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone peaked at 70.8% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 49.4%, in 2019.
That places Sierra Leone 17th out of 42 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 70.8% | — |
| 2010 | 59.5% | -15.9% |
| 2013 | 60.3% | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 65.6% | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 49.4% | -24.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 49.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.4%, 82% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 49.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 71.9%, 69% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 70.8% | 70.8% | 70.8% | 1 |
| 2010s | 58.7% | 49.4% | 65.6% | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone?
- Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest in Sierra Leone was 49.4% in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 70.8% in 2008.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.4% in 2019.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest?
- Sierra Leone ranks 17th out of 42 countries with data for 2019.
- Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, poorest rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.2%. 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, poorest quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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