Western Africa
Sierra Leone
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
- Sierra Leone
- Western Africa
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Sierra Leone and Western Africa from 1994 to 2024.
In Sierra Leone, 51% of girls in 1994 married before age 18, compared with 30% in 2019, which is the latest available value.
In Western Africa, the prevalence was 43% in 1999 and was 32% in 2024.
Show data table
| Year | Sierra Leone | Western Africa |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 50.5% | |
| 1999 | 51.1% | 42.8% |
| 2004 | 49.6% | 41.2% |
| 2009 | 44.1% | 38.9% |
| 2014 | 34.8% | 39.6% |
| 2019 | 29.6% | 39.5% |
| 2024 | 31.6% |
Sierra Leone
Child Marriage
Prevalence
Residence
- Rural
- Urban
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
The map shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) across Sierra Leone. Data refer to 2019, the latest year with available data.
The practice is most common in North (38%), Eastern (34%), Southern (34%), and Northern (34%).
Show data table
| Year | Eastern | North Western | Northern | Southern | Western Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.2% | 37.5% | 33.6% | 33.7% | 17.6% |
Compare countries
How does Sierra Leone compare to other countries?
Prevalence of child marriage
- Sierra Leone
The line chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) in Sierra Leone from 1994 to 2019.
In Sierra Leone, 51% of girls in 1994 married before age 18, compared with 30% in 2019, which is the latest available value.
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
The bubble chart shows the prevalence of child marriage (before age 18) disaggregated by residence in Sierra Leone. Data refer to the latest available year.
In Sierra Leone, 30% of girls married before age 18. The prevalence is 42% of girls in rural areas, compared with 19% in urban areas.
For more data related to child marriage, please see the child marriage country profiles available on the UNICEF Data website
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Where does child marriage occur?
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