Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates was 162.1% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sierra Leone, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 162.1% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sierra Leone peaked at 163.2% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 33.7%, in 1973.
That places Sierra Leone 2nd out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 36.9% | 33.7% | 40.6% | 8 |
| 1980s | 56.7% | 51.9% | 62.5% | 9 |
| 1990s | 48.2% | 45.3% | 51.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 69.4% | 63.3% | 75.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 122.9% | 114.6% | 145.6% | 8 |
| 2020s | 157.0% | 142.8% | 163.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sierra Leone?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Sierra Leone was 162.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 163.2% in 2022.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.7% in 1973.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Sierra Leone ranks 2nd out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.3%. 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) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.