Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public was 49.5% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone, 2001–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone stood at 49.5%. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 10.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone peaked at 55.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 49.5%, in 2021.
Sierra Leone ranks 154th of 191 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 55.7% | — |
| 2011 | 55.4% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 52.4% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 52.5% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 52.2% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 51.4% | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 50.2% | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 50.8% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 50.5% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 49.9% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 49.5% | -0.8% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 49.5% is below the median for low income countries, which is 50.9%, 97% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 49.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 50.2%, 98% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.7% | 55.7% | 55.7% | 1 |
| 2010s | 51.9% | 50.2% | 55.4% | 8 |
| 2020s | 49.7% | 49.5% | 49.9% | 2 |
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 percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone?
- Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public in Sierra Leone was 49.5% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 55.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.5% in 2021.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public?
- Sierra Leone ranks 154th out of 191 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.7%. 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 Percentage of enrolment in lower secondary education in public institutions, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release