Literacy rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Literacy rate was 90.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
90.5%
World rank
74th
of 128 countries
All-time high
97.3%
in 2016
All-time low
52.5%
in 1950
Years of data
7
1950–2024
Literacy rate in Lesotho, 1950–2024
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 90.5% for literacy rate in 2024.
That represents a change of down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Lesotho peaked at 97.3% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 52.5%, in 1950.
That places Lesotho 74th out of 128 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 52.5% | 52.5% | 52.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 76.2% | 66.1% | 86.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 92.0% | 86.2% | 97.3% | 3 |
| 2020s | 90.5% | 90.5% | 90.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 71 South Africa 91.2% compare
- 72 Thailand 91.1% compare
- 73 Eswatini 90.8% compare
- 75 El Salvador 89.8% compare
- 76 Iran 88.9% compare
- 77 Cape Verde 88.5% compare
More education data for Lesotho
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 34.1% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 80.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10,388 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.66 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 78.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Lesotho?
- Literacy rate in Lesotho was 90.5% in 2024, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 97.3% in 2016.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for literacy rate?
- Lesotho ranks 74th out of 128 countries with data for 2024.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.