Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: Enrolment in primary education, both sexes was 309,480 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
309,480
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
128th
of 218 countries
All-time high
429,720
in 2003
All-time low
171,454
in 1971
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 309,480 for enrolment in primary education, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 429,720 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 171,454, in 1971.
That places Lesotho 128th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 175,420 | — |
| 1971 | 171,454 | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 176,404 | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 187,459 | +6.3% |
| 1974 | 218,038 | +16.3% |
| 1975 | 221,922 | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 222,004 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 226,019 | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 228,523 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 235,604 | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 244,838 | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 259,046 | +5.8% |
| 1982 | 277,945 | +7.3% |
| 1983 | 289,590 | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 297,484 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 314,003 | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 319,128 | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 331,857 | +4.0% |
| 1988 | 345,524 | +4.1% |
| 1989 | 348,818 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 351,632 | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 361,144 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 362,657 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 354,275 | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 366,935 | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 378,011 | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 374,628 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 368,895 | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 369,535 | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 364,951 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 410,745 | +12.5% |
| 2001 | 415,007 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 418,668 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 429,720 | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 427,009 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 422,278 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 424,855 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 400,943 | -5.6% |
| 2008 | 396,041 | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 389,424 | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 388,678 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 385,437 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 381,690 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 369,469 | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 366,048 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 361,637 | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 360,756 | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 367,931 | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 340,421 | -7.5% |
| 2019 | 329,770 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 323,034 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 317,332 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 315,722 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 312,005 | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 309,480 | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 206,285 | 171,454 | 235,604 | 10 |
| 1980s | 302,823 | 244,838 | 348,818 | 10 |
| 1990s | 365,266 | 351,632 | 378,011 | 10 |
| 2000s | 413,469 | 389,424 | 429,720 | 10 |
| 2010s | 365,184 | 329,770 | 388,678 | 10 |
| 2020s | 315,515 | 309,480 | 323,034 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10,388 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 34.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 80.18 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 80.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 309,480 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 429,720 in 2003.
- What is the lowest enrolment in primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 171,454 in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank for enrolment in primary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 128th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is enrolment in primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. 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 Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release