Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public was 49.2% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone, 2001–2021
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2021, percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone stood at 49.2%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.0% on the previous year and up 41.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone peaked at 49.2% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 34.8%, in 2011.
That places Sierra Leone 89th out of 179 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 36.6% | — |
| 2011 | 34.8% | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 41.7% | +20.0% |
| 2013 | 42.6% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 42.2% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 45.6% | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 46.5% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 46.3% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 47.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 48.2% | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 49.2% | +2.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 49.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 47.0%, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 49.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.6% | 36.6% | 36.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 43.4% | 34.8% | 47.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 48.7% | 48.2% | 49.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 86 Iceland 49.3% compare
- 87 Montenegro 49.3% compare
- 88 Romania 49.3% compare
- 90 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 49.2% compare
- 91 Republic of Moldova 49.0% compare
- 92 Thailand 49.0% 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 percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone?
- Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public in Sierra Leone was 49.2% in 2021, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 49.2% in 2021.
- What is the lowest percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.8% in 2011.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public?
- Sierra Leone ranks 89th out of 179 countries with data for 2021.
- Is percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Percentage of enrolment in upper secondary education in public institutions, female (%). 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