School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) was 6.06 years in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
6.06 years
Change on year
up 19.2%
World rank
94th
of 214 countries
All-time high
6.06 years
in 2023
All-time low
0.6505 years
in 1971
Years of data
31
1971–2023
School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sierra Leone, 1971–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 6.06 years for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in 2023. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.2% on the previous year and up 120.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sierra Leone peaked at 6.06 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.6505 years, in 1971.
That places Sierra Leone 94th out of 214 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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, secondary, both sexes (years) (life both) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.6505 years | — |
| 1972 | 0.6866 years | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 0.7431 years | +8.2% |
| 1974 | 0.7824 years | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 0.8067 years | +3.1% |
| 1976 | 0.8289 years | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 0.8632 years | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 0.8813 years | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9152 years | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 0.886 years | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 0.9875 years | +11.5% |
| 1984 | 1.25 years | +26.6% |
| 1985 | 1.33 years | +6.4% |
| 1986 | 1.22 years | -8.5% |
| 1988 | 1.37 years | +12.2% |
| 1989 | 1.17 years | -13.9% |
| 1990 | 1.16 years | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 1.1 years | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 1.53 years | +38.4% |
| 2007 | 1.94 years | +27.0% |
| 2011 | 2.43 years | +24.9% |
| 2012 | 2.67 years | +10.2% |
| 2013 | 2.75 years | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 2.88 years | +4.9% |
| 2016 | 2.95 years | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 2.94 years | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 3.01 years | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 4.24 years | +41.1% |
| 2020 | 4.33 years | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 5.08 years | +17.4% |
| 2023 | 6.06 years | +19.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 6.06 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.3 years, 2.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 6.06 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.05 years, 2.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.7953 years | 0.6505 years | 0.9152 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.17 years | 0.886 years | 1.37 years | 7 |
| 1990s | 1.13 years | 1.1 years | 1.16 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.74 years | 1.53 years | 1.94 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 2.98 years | 2.43 years | 4.24 years | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.16 years | 4.33 years | 6.06 years | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 91 Georgia 6.07 years compare
- 92 Ukraine 6.07 years compare
- 93 Colombia 6.06 years compare
- 95 Turks and Caicos Islands 6.02 years compare
- 96 Costa Rica 6 years compare
- 97 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6 years 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 life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sierra Leone?
- School life expectancy, secondary, both sexes in Sierra Leone was 6.06 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 6.06 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6505 years in 1971.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes?
- Sierra Leone ranks 94th out of 214 countries with data for 2023.
- Is school life expectancy, secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 120.3%. 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, secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release