Sierra Leone: Primary education, teachers (% female)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 3.9 percentage points from 29.92% in 2019. Since 1975 it is up 9.48 percentage points from 24.35% in 1975. The World Bank has no value for 27 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 primary education, teachers (% female) rose 0.68 percentage points on 2023 (from 33.14% to 33.82%).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2023), the average change was +0.6 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.04 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 2.7 percentage points in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.05 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 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.72 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 90% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 35.49% for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.89%, against 1.93% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Sierra Leone had the 104th highest value of the 105 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

• Mauritania — 100th of 105: 41.29%
• Côte d'Ivoire — 101st of 105: 37.93%
• Senegal — 102nd of 105: 34.51%
• Togo — 104th of 105: 22.41%
• Chad — 105th of 105: 21.27%

What this measures

Female teachers as a percentage of total primary education teachers includes full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The indicator measures the level of gender representation in the teaching profession, rather than the effectiveness and quality of teaching.

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

All 23 values

Primary education, teachers (% female) in nearby economies

• Benin — 29.64% (2022)
• Botswana — 74.08% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 50.07% (2024)
• Burundi — 55.24% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 63.51% (2022)
• Cameroon — 61.38% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 19.09% (2016)
• Chad — 21.27% (2024)
• Comoros — 43.24% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 32.35% (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

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
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Sierra Leone's primary education, teachers (% female)?

33.82% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 9.48 percentage points from 24.35% in 1975. The highest value was 38.37% in 2001 and the lowest 21.91% in 1983.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR.FE.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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