Sierra Leone: Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 18.99 percentage points from 22.77% in 2019. Since 2013 it is down 36.88 percentage points from 40.66% in 2013. The World Bank has no value for 1 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2024, Sierra Leone's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 4.73 percentage points on 2023 (from 8.51% to 3.78%).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −4.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 9.98 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 25.79 percentage points in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 4.89 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 84% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Sierra Leone had the 53rd highest value of the 90 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Sierra Leone in the 2024 ranking

• Ghana — 49th of 90: 5.17%
• Serbia — 50th of 90: 4.57%
• Belarus — 51st of 90: 4.42%
• Brazil — 53rd of 90: 3.57%
• Cayman Islands — 54th of 90: 3.32%
• Brunei Darussalam — 55th of 90: 3.31%

What this measures

Adolescents out of school are the percentage of lower secondary school age adolescents who are not enrolled in school.

Limitations: The administrative data used in the calculation of the rate of out-of-school children are based on enrolment at a specific date which can bias the results by either counting enrolled children who never attend school or by omitting those who enroll after the reference date for reporting enrolment data. Furthermore, children who drop out of school after the reference date are not counted as out of school. Discrepancies between enrolment and population data from different sources can also result in over- or underestimates of the rate.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 11 values

Adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) in nearby economies

• Botswana — 9.17% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 59.31% (2024)
• Burundi — 37.09% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 66.27% (2022)
• Cameroon — 47.1% (2023)
• Chad — 58.62% (2024)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 30.81% (2024)
• Eritrea — 37.09% (2022)
• Eswatini — 7.27% (2022)

More education data for Sierra Leone

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 2.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 162.12% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 166.35% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 157.95% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 46,575 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age)?

3.78% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2013?

It is down 36.88 percentage points from 40.66% in 2013. The highest value was 48.57% in 2018 and the lowest 3.78% in 2024.

How does Sierra Leone rank?

53rd highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) unusual for Sierra Leone?

In 2024, Sierra Leone's adolescents out of school (% of lower secondary school age) fell 4.73 percentage points on 2023 (from 8.51% to 3.78%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2016 to 2023), the average change was −4.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 10.63 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.SEC.UNER.LO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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