Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 64.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 64.9% for share of the population with at least some formal education in 2020. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 43.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone peaked at 64.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 1870.
That places Sierra Leone 102nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 0.3% | — |
| 1875 | 0.4% | +33.3% |
| 1880 | 0.5% | +25.0% |
| 1885 | 0.6% | +20.0% |
| 1890 | 0.8% | +33.3% |
| 1895 | 1.0% | +25.0% |
| 1900 | 1.3% | +30.0% |
| 1905 | 1.7% | +30.8% |
| 1910 | 2.3% | +35.3% |
| 1915 | 2.7% | +17.4% |
| 1920 | 3.0% | +11.1% |
| 1925 | 2.8% | -6.7% |
| 1930 | 3.1% | +10.7% |
| 1935 | 3.4% | +9.7% |
| 1940 | 3.9% | +14.7% |
| 1945 | 4.4% | +12.8% |
| 1950 | 4.9% | +11.4% |
| 1955 | 5.4% | +10.2% |
| 1960 | 5.9% | +9.3% |
| 1965 | 7.6% | +28.8% |
| 1970 | 10.1% | +32.9% |
| 1975 | 13.3% | +31.7% |
| 1980 | 16.8% | +26.3% |
| 1985 | 20.7% | +23.2% |
| 1990 | 25.2% | +21.7% |
| 1995 | 30.7% | +21.8% |
| 2000 | 33.8% | +10.1% |
| 2005 | 36.5% | +8.0% |
| 2010 | 45.1% | +23.6% |
| 2015 | 54.9% | +21.7% |
| 2020 | 64.9% | +18.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 64.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 64.0%, 1.0× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 64.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 83% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 1880s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1890s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1900s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 2.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 2.9% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 1940s | 4.2% | 3.9% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 5.2% | 4.9% | 5.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 6.8% | 5.9% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 11.7% | 10.1% | 13.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 18.8% | 16.8% | 20.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 27.9% | 25.2% | 30.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 35.1% | 33.8% | 36.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.0% | 45.1% | 54.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 64.9% | 64.9% | 64.9% | 1 |
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 share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Sierra Leone was 64.9% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 1870.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 102nd out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 43.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.