Share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of children who have completed primary school was 68.8% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 68.8% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone peaked at 68.8% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 17.0%, in 1992.
Sierra Leone ranks 142nd of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 20.9% | — |
| 1982 | 20.8% | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 20.6% | -0.8% |
| 1984 | 20.4% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 20.0% | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 19.6% | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 19.0% | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 18.5% | -3.0% |
| 1989 | 17.9% | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 17.5% | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 17.2% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 17.0% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 17.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 17.2% | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 17.6% | +2.7% |
| 1996 | 18.4% | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 19.4% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 20.6% | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 22.1% | +7.1% |
| 2000 | 23.7% | +7.5% |
| 2001 | 25.6% | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 27.9% | +8.7% |
| 2003 | 30.4% | +9.1% |
| 2004 | 33.3% | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 36.5% | +9.5% |
| 2006 | 39.8% | +9.0% |
| 2007 | 43.1% | +8.4% |
| 2008 | 46.3% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 49.2% | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 51.7% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 53.8% | +4.1% |
| 2012 | 55.6% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 57.1% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 58.5% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 59.8% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 61.1% | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 62.3% | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 64.3% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.0% | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 65.7% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 66.5% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 67.2% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 68.0% | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 68.8% | +1.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 68.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 68.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 95% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 19.7% | 17.9% | 20.9% | 9 |
| 1990s | 18.4% | 17.0% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 35.6% | 23.7% | 49.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.8% | 51.7% | 64.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.9% | 65.0% | 68.8% | 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 share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Sierra Leone was 68.8% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 68.8% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.0% in 1992.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Sierra Leone ranks 142nd out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. 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 Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.