Compulsory education, duration in Lesotho
Lesotho: Compulsory education, duration was 7 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Compulsory education, duration in Lesotho, 2010–2025
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7 years for compulsory education, duration in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
The figure is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, compulsory education, duration in Lesotho peaked at 7 years in 2010 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 2010.
Lesotho ranks 168th of 197 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Compulsory education, duration in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 7 years | — |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 7 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9 years, 78% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 7 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8 years, 88% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
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 compulsory education, duration in Lesotho?
- Compulsory education, duration in Lesotho was 7 years in 2025, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest compulsory education, duration recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 2010.
- What is the lowest compulsory education, duration recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 2010.
- How does Lesotho rank for compulsory education, duration?
- Lesotho ranks 168th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is compulsory education, duration rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Compulsory education, duration (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Duration of compulsory education is the number of years that children are legally obliged to attend school.