Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.79 live births per woman
Change on year
down 2.2%
World rank
36th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.61 live births per woman
in 1987
All-time low
3.79 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone stood at 3.79 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.2% on the previous year and down 22.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 6.61 live births per woman in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.79 live births per woman, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 36th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.09 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.07 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1952 | 6.03 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1953 | 6 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1954 | 6.05 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 6.07 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1956 | 6.1 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 6.12 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1959 | 6.15 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.17 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 6.21 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 6.22 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 6.26 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 6.29 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 6.31 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 6.34 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 6.38 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 6.38 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 6.39 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 6.41 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 6.43 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 6.45 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 6.47 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 6.53 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 6.55 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 6.55 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 6.57 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 6.59 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 6.58 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 6.56 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 6.55 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 6.56 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 6.57 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 6.59 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 6.59 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6.6 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 6.61 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 6.59 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 6.57 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 6.57 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 6.55 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 6.55 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 6.57 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 6.56 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 6.55 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 6.55 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 6.53 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 6.5 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 6.42 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 6.36 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 6.3 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 6.23 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 6.09 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 5.92 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 5.81 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 5.74 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 5.64 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 5.56 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 5.45 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 5.33 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 5.21 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 5.06 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 4.87 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 4.7 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 4.55 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 4.47 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 4.39 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 4.29 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2019 | 4.19 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 4.08 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 3.98 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 3.88 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 3.79 live births per woman | -2.2% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 3.79 live births per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19 live births per woman, 91% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 3.79 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.08 live births per woman | 6 live births per woman | 6.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.3 live births per woman | 6.17 live births per woman | 6.39 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.51 live births per woman | 6.41 live births per woman | 6.59 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.58 live births per woman | 6.55 live births per woman | 6.61 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.54 live births per woman | 6.42 live births per woman | 6.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.91 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 6.36 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.71 live births per woman | 4.19 live births per woman | 5.33 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.93 live births per woman | 3.79 live births per woman | 4.08 live births per woman | 4 |
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 women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Sierra Leone was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 6.61 live births per woman in 1987.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.79 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 36th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.