Share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Share of population with no formal education was 35.1% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 35.1% for share of population with no formal education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone peaked at 99.7% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 35.1%, in 2020.
That places Sierra Leone 10th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.
Share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 99.7% | — |
| 1875 | 99.6% | -0.1% |
| 1880 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 1885 | 99.4% | -0.1% |
| 1890 | 99.2% | -0.2% |
| 1895 | 99.0% | -0.2% |
| 1900 | 98.7% | -0.3% |
| 1905 | 98.3% | -0.4% |
| 1910 | 97.7% | -0.6% |
| 1915 | 97.3% | -0.4% |
| 1920 | 97.0% | -0.3% |
| 1925 | 97.2% | +0.2% |
| 1930 | 96.9% | -0.3% |
| 1935 | 96.6% | -0.3% |
| 1940 | 96.1% | -0.5% |
| 1945 | 95.6% | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 95.1% | -0.5% |
| 1955 | 94.6% | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 94.1% | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 92.4% | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 89.9% | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 86.7% | -3.6% |
| 1980 | 83.2% | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 79.3% | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 74.8% | -5.7% |
| 1995 | 69.3% | -7.4% |
| 2000 | 66.2% | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 63.5% | -4.1% |
| 2010 | 54.9% | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 45.1% | -17.9% |
| 2020 | 35.1% | -22.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 99.7% | 99.6% | 99.7% | 2 |
| 1880s | 99.5% | 99.4% | 99.5% | 2 |
| 1890s | 99.1% | 99.0% | 99.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 98.5% | 98.3% | 98.7% | 2 |
| 1910s | 97.5% | 97.3% | 97.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 97.1% | 97.0% | 97.2% | 2 |
| 1930s | 96.8% | 96.6% | 96.9% | 2 |
| 1940s | 95.8% | 95.6% | 96.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 94.8% | 94.6% | 95.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 93.2% | 92.4% | 94.1% | 2 |
| 1970s | 88.3% | 86.7% | 89.9% | 2 |
| 1980s | 81.2% | 79.3% | 83.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 72.0% | 69.3% | 74.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 64.8% | 63.5% | 66.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 50.0% | 45.1% | 54.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 35.1% | 35.1% | 35.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More education data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.07 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 2.52 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.2393 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.05 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone?
- Share of population with no formal education in Sierra Leone was 35.1% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 35.1% in 2020.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Sierra Leone ranks 10th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.