Primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone: Primary education, pupils was 2.07 million in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2.07 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
69th
of 206 countries
All-time high
2.07 million
in 2024
All-time low
166,107
in 1971
Years of data
34
1971–2024

Primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone, 1971–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M1971199720241971: 166.1k1972: 176.7k1973: 169.3k1974: 181.9k1975: 191.7k1976: 205.9k1977: 218.4k1978: 227.8k1980: 305.0k1981: 315.1k1982: 346.7k1983: 350.2k1984: 381.7k1985: 416.0k1986: 421.7k1988: 422.2k1989: 395.4k1990: 391.2k1991: 367.4k2000: 442.9k2001: 554.3k2011: 1.2M2012: 1.3M2013: 1.3M2015: 1.4M2016: 1.4M2017: 1.5M2018: 1.4M2019: 1.8M2020: 1.8M2021: 2.0M2022: 2.0M2023: 2.0M2024: 2.1M

Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Analysis

The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone is 2.07 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 59.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone peaked at 2.07 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 166,107, in 1971.

Sierra Leone ranks 69th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 192,224 166,107 227,815 8
1980s 372,662 304,962 422,210 9
1990s 379,289 367,426 391,152 2
2000s 498,612 442,915 554,308 2
2010s 1.39 million 1.19 million 1.77 million 8
2020s 1.97 million 1.76 million 2.07 million 5

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

  1. 66 Cambodia 2.27 million compare
  2. 67 Syria 2.17 million compare
  3. 68 Guinea 2.11 million compare
  4. 70 Ecuador 1.72 million compare
  5. 71 Togo 1.66 million compare
  6. 72 Papua New Guinea 1.65 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Sierra Leone

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone?
Primary education, pupils in Sierra Leone was 2.07 million in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Sierra Leone?
The highest recorded value was 2.07 million in 2024.
What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Sierra Leone?
The lowest recorded value was 166,107 in 1971.
How does Sierra Leone rank for primary education, pupils?
Sierra Leone ranks 69th out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
Over the last ten years it is up 59.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils
Source
Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 11,297 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education pupils is the total number of pupils enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.