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
Latest (2023)
97.4%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
87th
of 209 countries
All-time high
98.9%
in 2015
All-time low
0.1%
in 1820
Years of data
45
1820–2023
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.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.1% | — |
| 1825 | 0.1% | +16.7% |
| 1830 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +33.3% |
| 1840 | 0.2% | +33.3% |
| 1845 | 0.2% | +31.2% |
| 1850 | 0.3% | +28.6% |
| 1855 | 0.3% | +29.6% |
| 1860 | 0.5% | +31.4% |
| 1865 | 0.6% | +28.3% |
| 1870 | 0.8% | +30.5% |
| 1875 | 1.0% | +29.9% |
| 1880 | 1.3% | +30.0% |
| 1885 | 1.7% | +30.0% |
| 1890 | 2.2% | +29.6% |
| 1895 | 2.8% | +29.2% |
| 1900 | 3.7% | +29.3% |
| 1905 | 3.5% | -3.3% |
| 1910 | 3.4% | -3.4% |
| 1915 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 3.4% | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 3.8% | +10.5% |
| 1930 | 4.1% | +9.3% |
| 1935 | 5.0% | +20.1% |
| 1940 | 5.8% | +16.7% |
| 1945 | 7.8% | +34.7% |
| 1950 | 8.3% | +6.2% |
| 1955 | 10.7% | +29.0% |
| 1960 | 19.6% | +83.1% |
| 1965 | 24.6% | +26.1% |
| 1970 | 28.9% | +17.2% |
| 1975 | 33.1% | +14.7% |
| 1980 | 38.2% | +15.4% |
| 1983 | 46.9% | +22.5% |
| 2011 | 94.1% | +100.8% |
| 2012 | 96.9% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 98.8% | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 98.9% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 98.7% | -0.1% |
| 2017 | 98.4% | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 97.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 98.0% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 97.9% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 97.6% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 97.4% | -0.3% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 97.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 97.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 1.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
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
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 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.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.