Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of children who are not in pre-primary school was 69.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho, 2005–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho is 69.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho peaked at 69.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 60.4%, in 2013.
Lesotho ranks 15th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 65.0% | — |
| 2013 | 60.4% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 67.2% | +11.1% |
| 2015 | 62.2% | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 63.7% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 62.3% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 66.6% | +6.9% |
| 2019 | 67.7% | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 69.5% | +2.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 69.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.1%, 2.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 69.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.8%, 1.6× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 65.0% | 65.0% | 65.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 64.3% | 60.4% | 67.7% | 7 |
| 2020s | 69.5% | 69.5% | 69.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5,672 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 30,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 22,924 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23,698 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 136,497 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 309,480 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8093 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1324 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho?
- Share of children who are not in pre-primary school in Lesotho was 69.5% in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 69.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of children who are not in pre-primary school recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 60.4% in 2013.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of children who are not in pre-primary school?
- Lesotho ranks 15th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who are not in pre-primary school rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are not in pre-primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Children one year before the official primary entry age (typically age 5) not enrolled in pre-primary education, expressed as a percentage of all children in that age group.