Western Africa
Sierra Leone
Summary
Explore how common child marriage is throughout the country, how levels have changed over time, and how the situation in this country compares to others.
Absolute number
Prevalence
Married by 15: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 15
Married by 18: Number of girls and women (left) and percentage of women 20-24 years (right) married before age 18
Prevalence of child marriage
- Western Africa
- Sierra Leone
Data table
| Year | Western Africa | Sierra Leone |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 50.5% | |
| 1999 | 42.8% | 51.1% |
| 2004 | 41.2% | 49.6% |
| 2009 | 38.9% | 44.1% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | 34.8% |
| 2019 | 39.5% | 29.6% |
| 2024 | 31.6% |
Sierra Leone
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Urban
- Rural
Wealth
- Poorest
- Second
- Middle
- Fourth
- Richest
Education
- No schooling
- Primary education
- Secondary or higher
Compare regions of Sierra Leone
Understand differences inside the country
Touch the timeline to see how the child marriage affect differently each sub-region of Sierra Leone in the last decades.
Levels of child marriage vary across different parts of Sierra Leone. See the range of values within the country, and explore the map for details.
Prevalence of child marriage
Compare regions of Sierra Leone
Understand differences
inside the country
Region with no data
2019
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Sierra Leone in 2019
Region with no data
2019
Prevalence of child marriage in each region of Sierra Leone in 2019
Data table
| Year | Eastern | North Western | Northern | Southern | Western Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.2% | 37.5% | 33.6% | 33.7% | 17.6% |
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How does Sierra Leone compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Sierra Leone
Residence
Child marriage prevalence
Review the data to find if girls living in rural areas are more likely to marry in childhood than girls in urban areas
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
UNICEF DataExplore other countries
Where does child marriage occur?
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