Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 97.4% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone, 1820–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone stood at 97.4%.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone peaked at 98.9% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 0.1%, in 1820.
Sierra Leone ranks 87th of 209 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1860s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 2 |
| 1870s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2 |
| 1890s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1900s | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2 |
| 1920s | 3.6% | 3.4% | 3.8% | 2 |
| 1930s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 2 |
| 1940s | 6.8% | 5.8% | 7.8% | 2 |
| 1950s | 9.5% | 8.3% | 10.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 22.1% | 19.6% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 31.0% | 28.9% | 33.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 42.6% | 38.2% | 46.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 97.7% | 94.1% | 98.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 97.6% | 97.4% | 97.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 84 Vanuatu 97.5% compare
- 85 Cook Islands 97.5% compare
- 86 New Zealand 97.4% compare
- 89 Israel 97.3% compare
- 90 Latvia 97.3% compare
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 59.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 37.7% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 162.1% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 46,575 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.7 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 166.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone was 97.4% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 98.9% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1% in 1820.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Sierra Leone ranks 87th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.