What is academic freedom index in Sierra Leone?

Academic freedom index in Sierra Leone was 0.862 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Sierra Leone?

The highest recorded value was 0.885 in 2023.

What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Sierra Leone?

The lowest recorded value was 0.34 in 1992.

How does Sierra Leone rank for academic freedom index?

Sierra Leone ranks 32nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.

Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Sierra Leone?

Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone

Name: Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Sierra Leone: Academic Freedom Index was 0.862 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

0.862

Change on year

up 1.5%

World rank

32nd

of 174 countries

All-time high

0.885

in 2023

All-time low

0.34

in 1992

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, academic freedom index in Sierra Leone stood at 0.862.

The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and up 1.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Sierra Leone peaked at 0.885 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.34, in 1992.

That places Sierra Leone 32nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.

Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone, year by year

Annual values for Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone, 1900 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1900	0.478	—
1901	0.478	+0.0%
1902	0.478	+0.0%
1903	0.478	+0.0%
1904	0.478	+0.0%
1905	0.478	+0.0%
1906	0.478	+0.0%
1907	0.478	+0.0%
1908	0.478	+0.0%
1909	0.478	+0.0%
1910	0.478	+0.0%
1911	0.478	+0.0%
1912	0.478	+0.0%
1913	0.478	+0.0%
1914	0.478	+0.0%
1915	0.478	+0.0%
1916	0.478	+0.0%
1917	0.478	+0.0%
1918	0.478	+0.0%
1919	0.478	+0.0%
1920	0.478	+0.0%
1921	0.478	+0.0%
1922	0.478	+0.0%
1923	0.478	+0.0%
1924	0.478	+0.0%
1925	0.478	+0.0%
1926	0.478	+0.0%
1927	0.478	+0.0%
1928	0.478	+0.0%
1929	0.478	+0.0%
1930	0.478	+0.0%
1931	0.478	+0.0%
1932	0.478	+0.0%
1933	0.478	+0.0%
1934	0.478	+0.0%
1935	0.478	+0.0%
1936	0.478	+0.0%
1937	0.478	+0.0%
1938	0.478	+0.0%
1939	0.478	+0.0%
1940	0.478	+0.0%
1941	0.478	+0.0%
1942	0.478	+0.0%
1943	0.478	+0.0%
1944	0.478	+0.0%
1945	0.478	+0.0%
1946	0.478	+0.0%
1947	0.478	+0.0%
1948	0.478	+0.0%
1949	0.478	+0.0%
1950	0.478	+0.0%
1951	0.478	+0.0%
1952	0.476	-0.4%
1953	0.476	+0.0%
1954	0.476	+0.0%
1955	0.476	+0.0%
1956	0.476	+0.0%
1957	0.476	+0.0%
1958	0.476	+0.0%
1959	0.476	+0.0%
1960	0.507	+6.5%
1961	0.606	+19.5%
1962	0.612	+1.0%
1963	0.612	+0.0%
1964	0.612	+0.0%
1965	0.596	-2.6%
1966	0.596	+0.0%
1967	0.596	+0.0%
1968	0.582	-2.3%
1969	0.56	-3.8%
1970	0.56	+0.0%
1971	0.433	-22.7%
1972	0.433	+0.0%
1973	0.433	+0.0%
1974	0.433	+0.0%
1975	0.433	+0.0%
1976	0.433	+0.0%
1977	0.433	+0.0%
1978	0.435	+0.5%
1979	0.42	-3.4%
1980	0.42	+0.0%
1981	0.42	+0.0%
1982	0.42	+0.0%
1983	0.42	+0.0%
1984	0.42	+0.0%
1985	0.444	+5.7%
1986	0.444	+0.0%
1987	0.444	+0.0%
1988	0.444	+0.0%
1989	0.444	+0.0%
1990	0.444	+0.0%
1991	0.367	-17.3%
1992	0.34	-7.4%
1993	0.347	+2.1%
1994	0.347	+0.0%
1995	0.347	+0.0%
1996	0.604	+74.1%
1997	0.611	+1.2%
1998	0.611	+0.0%
1999	0.664	+8.7%
2000	0.739	+11.3%
2001	0.739	+0.0%
2002	0.766	+3.7%
2003	0.848	+10.7%
2004	0.844	-0.5%
2005	0.844	+0.0%
2006	0.844	+0.0%
2007	0.844	+0.0%
2008	0.844	+0.0%
2009	0.844	+0.0%
2010	0.864	+2.4%
2011	0.864	+0.0%
2012	0.86	-0.5%
2013	0.85	-1.2%
2014	0.85	+0.0%
2015	0.85	+0.0%
2016	0.85	+0.0%
2017	0.874	+2.8%
2018	0.867	-0.8%
2019	0.863	-0.5%
2020	0.856	-0.8%
2021	0.856	+0.0%
2022	0.865	+1.1%
2023	0.885	+2.3%
2024	0.849	-4.1%
2025	0.862	+1.5%

Sierra Leone compared with similar countries

Sierra Leone's 0.862 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.326, 2.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Sierra Leone's 0.862 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.478	0.478	0.478	10
1910s	0.478	0.478	0.478	10
1920s	0.478	0.478	0.478	10
1930s	0.478	0.478	0.478	10
1940s	0.478	0.478	0.478	10
1950s	0.4764	0.476	0.478	10
1960s	0.5879	0.507	0.612	10
1970s	0.4446	0.42	0.56	10
1980s	0.432	0.42	0.444	10
1990s	0.4682	0.34	0.664	10
2000s	0.8156	0.739	0.848	10
2010s	0.8592	0.85	0.874	10
2020s	0.8622	0.849	0.885	6

Countries ranked near Sierra Leone

29 Australia 0.864 compare
29 Kenya 0.864 compare
29 Poland 0.864 compare
33 Canada 0.854 compare
33 Norway 0.854 compare
35 Bulgaria 0.85 compare
35 South Korea 0.85 compare

See the full ranking of 174 places →

More social development data for Sierra Leone

Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
Political Rights Rating 4 (2025)
Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 4 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.001 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 8,925 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)

All data for Sierra Leone →

Frequently asked questions

What is academic freedom index in Sierra Leone?: Academic freedom index in Sierra Leone was 0.862 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Sierra Leone?: The highest recorded value was 0.885 in 2023.
What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Sierra Leone?: The lowest recorded value was 0.34 in 1992.
How does Sierra Leone rank for academic freedom index?: Sierra Leone ranks 32nd out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Sierra Leone?: Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/academic-freedom-index/sierra-leone/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/academic-freedom-index/sierra-leone/">Academic Freedom Index in Sierra Leone</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Academic Freedom Index
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 174 places, 16,942 data points, 1900–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.