Children out of school, primary in Lesotho
Lesotho: Children out of school, primary was 124,175 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
124,175
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
55th
of 197 countries
All-time high
176,214
in 1999
All-time low
45,730
in 2006
Years of data
53
1970–2024
Children out of school, primary in Lesotho, 1970–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 124,175 for children out of school, primary in 2024.
The figure is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 129.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school, primary in Lesotho peaked at 176,214 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 45,730, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 55th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Children out of school, primary in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 76,253 | — |
| 1971 | 85,877 | +12.6% |
| 1972 | 86,090 | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 86,494 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 70,637 | -18.3% |
| 1976 | 70,765 | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 68,898 | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 85,525 | +24.1% |
| 1979 | 85,114 | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 87,996 | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 91,530 | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 85,397 | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 92,542 | +8.4% |
| 1984 | 96,341 | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 96,530 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 103,654 | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 91,759 | -11.5% |
| 1988 | 93,594 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 101,173 | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 110,070 | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 110,768 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 115,033 | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 128,117 | +11.4% |
| 1994 | 130,780 | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 140,362 | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 142,900 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 168,634 | +18.0% |
| 1999 | 176,214 | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 96,087 | -45.5% |
| 2001 | 85,291 | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 73,269 | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 62,979 | -14.0% |
| 2004 | 62,517 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 55,864 | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 45,730 | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 51,562 | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 49,096 | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 51,684 | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 49,781 | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 48,923 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 48,875 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 48,661 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 54,096 | +11.2% |
| 2015 | 57,261 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 55,889 | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 51,629 | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 71,625 | +38.7% |
| 2019 | 82,562 | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 89,478 | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 113,157 | +26.5% |
| 2022 | 110,928 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 117,314 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 124,175 | +5.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 124,175 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 76,741, 1.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 124,175 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 224,299, 55% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 79,517 | 68,898 | 86,494 | 9 |
| 1980s | 94,052 | 85,397 | 103,654 | 10 |
| 1990s | 135,875 | 110,070 | 176,214 | 9 |
| 2000s | 63,408 | 45,730 | 96,087 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56,930 | 48,661 | 82,562 | 10 |
| 2020s | 111,010 | 89,478 | 124,175 | 5 |
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 children out of school, primary in Lesotho?
- Children out of school, primary in Lesotho was 124,175 in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school, primary recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 176,214 in 1999.
- What is the lowest children out of school, primary recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 45,730 in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for children out of school, primary?
- Lesotho ranks 55th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children out of school, primary rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 129.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school, primary. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Children out of school are the number of primary-school-age children not enrolled in primary or secondary school.