Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both in Lesotho
Lesotho: Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both was 28.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Lesotho, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Lesotho stood at 28.4%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 25.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Lesotho peaked at 28.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 1981.
That places Lesotho 125th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Completion rate, upper secondary education, both … modelled data both in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7.2% | — |
| 1982 | 7.5% | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 7.8% | +3.9% |
| 1984 | 8.1% | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 8.3% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 8.8% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 9.1% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 9.4% | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 9.6% | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 9.9% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 10.1% | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 10.4% | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 10.6% | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 10.9% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 11.4% | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 11.9% | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 12.5% | +4.6% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | +3.5% |
| 2000 | 13.3% | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 13.6% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 13.9% | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 14.9% | +4.6% |
| 2005 | 15.8% | +5.9% |
| 2006 | 16.6% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 17.2% | +3.7% |
| 2008 | 17.5% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 18.0% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 18.7% | +4.1% |
| 2011 | 19.6% | +5.0% |
| 2012 | 20.4% | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 21.1% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 21.9% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 22.7% | +3.7% |
| 2016 | 23.4% | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 24.0% | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 24.6% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 25.2% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 25.7% | +2.2% |
| 2021 | 26.1% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 27.1% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 27.7% | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 28.4% | +2.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 28.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 36.4%, 78% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 28.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.1%, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.3% | 7.2% | 9.4% | 9 |
| 1990s | 11.0% | 9.6% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.5% | 13.3% | 18.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.2% | 18.7% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.9% | 25.7% | 28.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 68.25 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 67.83 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Lesotho?
- Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) in Lesotho was 28.4% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 28.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 1981.
- How does Lesotho rank for completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data)?
- Lesotho ranks 125th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.3%. 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, published as part of Completion rate, upper secondary education, both sexes (modelled data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release