School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number) was 868,445 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
868,445
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
86th
of 221 countries
All-time high
868,445
in 2025
All-time low
220,475
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Sierra Leone, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Sierra Leone is 868,445, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Sierra Leone peaked at 868,445 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 220,475, in 1970.
That places Sierra Leone 86th out of 221 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, tertiary education, both sexes (number) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 220,475 | — |
| 1971 | 221,090 | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 221,579 | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 226,359 | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 233,842 | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 239,172 | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 245,062 | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 251,287 | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 258,319 | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 265,249 | +2.7% |
| 1980 | 272,455 | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 280,034 | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 287,709 | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 295,829 | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 304,334 | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 312,657 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 321,011 | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 330,940 | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 340,739 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 350,513 | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 359,338 | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 380,318 | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 368,889 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 367,169 | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 356,241 | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 372,427 | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 372,460 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 378,309 | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 397,923 | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 400,939 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 402,740 | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 421,816 | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 454,817 | +7.8% |
| 2003 | 476,151 | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 496,536 | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 513,386 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 528,335 | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 540,333 | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 554,493 | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 569,927 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 587,452 | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 604,696 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 623,353 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 620,492 | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 639,595 | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 658,309 | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 678,669 | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 700,698 | +3.2% |
| 2018 | 722,957 | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 746,022 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 770,088 | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 793,343 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 816,053 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 836,809 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 854,106 | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 868,445 | +1.7% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 868,445 is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.32 million, 37% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 868,445 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.45 million, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 238,243 | 220,475 | 265,249 | 10 |
| 1980s | 309,622 | 272,455 | 350,513 | 10 |
| 1990s | 375,401 | 356,241 | 400,939 | 10 |
| 2000s | 495,853 | 402,740 | 569,927 | 10 |
| 2010s | 658,224 | 587,452 | 746,022 | 10 |
| 2020s | 823,141 | 770,088 | 868,445 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 83 Papua New Guinea 994,919 compare
- 84 Dominican Republic 923,056 compare
- 85 Togo 884,435 compare
- 87 Tajikistan 847,431 compare
- 88 Tunisia 807,992 compare
- 89 Israel 756,603 compare
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, tertiary education, both sexes in Sierra Leone?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Sierra Leone was 868,445 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 868,445 in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 220,475 in 1970.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Sierra Leone ranks 86th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. 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, tertiary education, 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