The Chief’s Diary: Independent Data Show Sierra Leone’s Steady and Consistent Progress on Human Capital Indices
President Bio ran a campaign on promoting human capital in 2018. His national development plan centered human capital as a priority in 2023. He is known to say that he wants “to be remembered as a Human Capital President.” But do the numbers and the reality point to that legacy?
Behind every data point is a child, a mother, a family. That is who we govern for. Today I spent some time reflecting on the latest data on human capital outcomes in Sierra Leone, drawing on the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and the recently released Human Capital Index Plus (HCI+). I want you to do the same.
The HCI+ builds on the original HCI. It measures how effectively countries are building human capital by tracking the likelihood that children today will grow into healthy, educated, and productive adults across three pillars — health, education, and employment. These data are tracked and analyzed by independent experts from reputable institutions like World Bank.
Sierra Leone’s HCI+ score of 117 reflects investments across these areas and is higher than the average for low-income countries (114) (together #WeAreDelivering). With a theoretical maximum score of 325, the data also highlights the opportunity for continued progress (together #WeWillDeliver).
The underlying indicators paint a more detailed but encouraging signals of progress.
In education, a child who starts school at age four can expect more than 9 years of schooling by age 18. However, when learning quality is taken into account, this translates into 4.9 learning-adjusted years of schooling, highlighting the importance of strengthening learning outcomes alongside access. This is an improvement from where things were in 2018 and a commitment to keep working harder.
In health, covering child survival and nutrition, 89% of children survive to age five, while 73.7% of children under five are not stunted. Feed Salone focuses on nutrition for this exact reason.
We are also seeing encouraging progress in adult survival, which continues to increase, with the most recent estimate rising to 0.781, meaning more than 3 in 4 adults aged 15 to 60 are expected to survive to retirement age. This is evident in the increase in life expectancy over this decade.
The Government is continuing to strengthen systems across health, nutrition, education, and skills development, ensuring that every Sierra Leonean child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and reach their full potential.
Indeed, on our national goal to be an inclusive, green middle-income country by 2039, together, #WeWillDeliver. One President Bio’s legacy to known as a Human Capital President, he already is one!
Read more about HCI+ here: https://humancapital.worldbank.org/hciplus/
Read about Sierra Leone’s HCI+ performance here: https://humancapital.worldbank.org/en/country-briefs
President Bio ran a campaign on promoting human capital in 2018. His national development plan centered human capital as a priority in 2023. He is known to say that he wants “to be remembered as a Human Capital President.” But do the numbers and the reality point to that legacy?
Behind every data point is a child, a mother, a family. That is who we govern for. Today I spent some time reflecting on the latest data on human capital outcomes in Sierra Leone, drawing on the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) and the recently released Human Capital Index Plus (HCI+). I want you to do the same.
The HCI+ builds on the original HCI. It measures how effectively countries are building human capital by tracking the likelihood that children today will grow into healthy, educated, and productive adults across three pillars — health, education, and employment. These data are tracked and analyzed by independent experts from reputable institutions like World Bank.
Sierra Leone’s HCI+ score of 117 reflects investments across these areas and is higher than the average for low-income countries (114) (together #WeAreDelivering). With a theoretical maximum score of 325, the data also highlights the opportunity for continued progress (together #WeWillDeliver).
The underlying indicators paint a more detailed but encouraging signals of progress.
In education, a child who starts school at age four can expect more than 9 years of schooling by age 18. However, when learning quality is taken into account, this translates into 4.9 learning-adjusted years of schooling, highlighting the importance of strengthening learning outcomes alongside access. This is an improvement from where things were in 2018 and a commitment to keep working harder.
In health, covering child survival and nutrition, 89% of children survive to age five, while 73.7% of children under five are not stunted. Feed Salone focuses on nutrition for this exact reason.
We are also seeing encouraging progress in adult survival, which continues to increase, with the most recent estimate rising to 0.781, meaning more than 3 in 4 adults aged 15 to 60 are expected to survive to retirement age. This is evident in the increase in life expectancy over this decade.
The Government is continuing to strengthen systems across health, nutrition, education, and skills development, ensuring that every Sierra Leonean child has the opportunity to grow, learn, and reach their full potential.
Indeed, on our national goal to be an inclusive, green middle-income country by 2039, together, #WeWillDeliver. One President Bio’s legacy to known as a Human Capital President, he already is one!
Read more about HCI+ here: https://humancapital.worldbank.org/hciplus/
Read about Sierra Leone’s HCI+ performance here: https://humancapital.worldbank.org/en/country-briefs
Daily Diary Read More
Together We Rise: A Movement for Everyone
