School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) was 10.46 years in 2017. ◆ Volatile
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Sierra Leone, 1971–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 10.46 years for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in 2017. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and up 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Sierra Leone peaked at 10.46 years in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.25 years, in 1973.
Sierra Leone ranks 138th of 193 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.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 2.3 years | — |
| 1972 | 2.4 years | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 2.25 years | -6.2% |
| 1974 | 2.39 years | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 2.44 years | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 2.58 years | +5.7% |
| 1977 | 2.68 years | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 2.72 years | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 3.97 years | +45.8% |
| 1985 | 4.21 years | +6.2% |
| 1988 | 4.01 years | -4.9% |
| 1989 | 3.64 years | -9.0% |
| 1990 | 3.48 years | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 3.32 years | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.85 years | +45.9% |
| 2011 | 8.77 years | +80.9% |
| 2012 | 9.45 years | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 9.63 years | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 9.69 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 9.95 years | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 10.46 years | +5.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 10.46 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.86 years, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 10.46 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 years, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in Sierra Leone changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +80.9% | 4.85 years | 8.77 years |
| 1984 | +45.8% | 2.72 years | 3.97 years |
| 2001 | +45.9% | 3.32 years | 4.85 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.47 years | 2.25 years | 2.72 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 3.96 years | 3.64 years | 4.21 years | 4 |
| 1990s | 3.4 years | 3.32 years | 3.48 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.85 years | 4.85 years | 4.85 years | 1 |
| 2010s | 9.66 years | 8.77 years | 10.46 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 97.5 (2012)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 97.37 (2023)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Sierra Leone?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Sierra Leone was 10.46 years in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 10.46 years in 2017.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.25 years in 1973.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- Sierra Leone ranks 138th out of 193 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.3%. 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, published as part of School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.