Sierra Leone's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) was 31.02% in 2018, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 19.14 percentage points from 50.17% in 2008.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 31.02% | 2018 |
| Five years earlier | 48.86% | 2013 |
| Ten years earlier | 50.17% | 2008 |
| Highest | 52.56% | 2011 |
| Lowest | 20.39% | 2017 |
| Average since 2009 | 42.3% | 2009–2018 |
| First recorded | 52.04% | 2007 |
What the numbers say
In 2018, Sierra Leone's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) rose 10.64 percentage points on 2017 (from 20.39% to 31.02%).
Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2017), the average change was −3.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 10.64 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.27 percentage points in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2009 to 2018 the straight-line trend is downward, about 3.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 76% of the movement over 9 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 2018, Sierra Leone had the 16th highest value of the 23 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 2018 ranking
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 12th of 23: 33.07%
- Colombia — 13th of 23: 32.71%
- Senegal — 14th of 23: 31.67%
- Sri Lanka — 16th of 23: 29.86%
- Costa Rica — 17th of 23: 28.67%
- Rwanda — 18th of 23: 28.56%
What this measures
Expenditure on primary education is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on education. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.
Limitations: Data disaggregated by level of education are estimates in some instances. It is often difficult to separate lower from upper secondary education expenditure, or pre-primary from primary.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.
All 11 values
| Year | Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 31.02 |
| 2017 | 20.39 |
| 2016 | 35.65 |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | 43.09 |
| 2013 | 48.86 |
| 2012 | 49.53 |
| 2011 | 52.56 |
| 2010 | 50.72 |
| 2009 | 48.89 |
Expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) in nearby economies
- Benin — 49.81% (2015)
- Burkina Faso — 57.87% (2015)
- Cabo Verde — 38.09% (2017)
- Côte d'Ivoire — 47.29% (2018)
- Ethiopia — 27.45% (2015)
- Gambia, The — 55.84% (2015)
- Guinea — 61.65% (2018)
- Kenya — 36.34% (2015)
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
Questions people ask
- What is Sierra Leone's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education)?
- 31.02% in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2007?
- It is down 21.02 percentage points from 52.04% in 2007. The highest value was 52.56% in 2011 and the lowest 20.39% in 2017.
- How does Sierra Leone rank?
- 16th highest of 23 economies with data for 2018.
- Is the latest change in expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) unusual for Sierra Leone?
- In 2018, Sierra Leone's expenditure on primary education (% of government expenditure on education) rose 10.64 percentage points on 2017 (from 20.39% to 31.02%). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2008 to 2017), the average change was −3.03 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.54 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.XPD.PRIM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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