School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: School age population, one year before the official primary entry was 225,437 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
225,437
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
82nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
225,437
in 2025
All-time low
77,404
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 225,437 for school age population, one year before the official primary entry in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone peaked at 225,437 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 77,404, in 1970.
That places Sierra Leone 82nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 77,404 | — |
| 1971 | 79,299 | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 81,239 | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 82,803 | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 84,515 | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 86,374 | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 88,222 | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 90,060 | +2.1% |
| 1978 | 92,184 | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 94,931 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 96,989 | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 99,141 | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 101,518 | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 104,194 | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 106,539 | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 108,975 | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 111,700 | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 115,122 | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 118,613 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 122,393 | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 125,482 | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 133,076 | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 129,452 | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 128,470 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 128,402 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 129,513 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 129,601 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 126,736 | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 129,000 | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 130,648 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 131,194 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 136,599 | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 148,377 | +8.6% |
| 2003 | 155,624 | +4.9% |
| 2004 | 162,263 | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 167,403 | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 171,574 | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 174,511 | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 178,809 | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 181,632 | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 183,054 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 186,756 | +2.0% |
| 2012 | 192,021 | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 195,588 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 200,171 | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 203,447 | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 206,115 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 209,716 | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 212,168 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 211,960 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 212,425 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 212,884 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 216,263 | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 219,850 | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 222,931 | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 225,437 | +1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85,703 | 77,404 | 94,931 | 10 |
| 1980s | 108,518 | 96,989 | 122,393 | 10 |
| 1990s | 129,038 | 125,482 | 133,076 | 10 |
| 2000s | 160,799 | 131,194 | 181,632 | 10 |
| 2010s | 200,100 | 183,054 | 212,168 | 10 |
| 2020s | 218,298 | 212,425 | 225,437 | 6 |
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 school age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone?
- School age population, one year before the official primary entry in Sierra Leone was 225,437 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 225,437 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 77,404 in 1970.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for school age population, one year before the official primary entry?
- Sierra Leone ranks 82nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.8%. 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 School age population, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release