Sierra Leone — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Sierra Leone, 2000–2023.
Education spending for Sierra Leone was 2.62% in 2023, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 23 years, from 2000 to 2023. The highest recorded value was 5.59% in 2021. The lowest was 1.45% in 2008 (about 1.8× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.72% per year.
Sierra Leone ranks 147 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 85%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Sierra Leone sits below it. It peaked in 2021 and has fallen 53% since. Over the last decade (2013–2023) the figure moved up 68%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 32 of 41 economies; Uganda (2.56%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 85% in 2015. That is 26% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 35th of 116 in 2000 → 124th of 130 in 2010 → 47th of 157 in 2020 → 84th of 107 in 2023.
Key figures
Full history — 2000 to 2023
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2.62% | -2.3 pp |
| 2022 | 4.91% | -0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 5.59% | +0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 5.35% | +0.7 pp |
| 2019 | 4.65% | +0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 4.47% | +1.5 pp |
| 2017 | 3.02% | +1.2 pp |
| 2016 | 1.85% | -1.4 pp |
| 2015 | 3.22% | +1.5 pp |
| 2014 | 1.74% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 1.56% | -0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 1.78% | +0.2 pp |
| 2011 | 1.62% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 1.57% | -0.2 pp |
| 2009 | 1.72% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 1.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 1.52% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 1.81% | -0.2 pp |
| 2004 | 2.01% | -0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 2.11% | -0.2 pp |
| 2002 | 2.3% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 2.23% | -2.7 pp |
| 2000 | 4.95% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Sierra Leone’s Education spending in 2001?
2.23% (2001). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Sierra Leone’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 2000 and 2023 the series was shrinking overall: -47.0% in total — about 2.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2023: 2.62%; 2022: 4.91%; 2021: 5.59%; 2020: 5.35%; 2019: 4.65%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.