Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho
Lesotho: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 10.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho, 1983–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 10.4% for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho peaked at 32.5% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 144th of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 29.4% | — |
| 1984 | 20.8% | -29.2% |
| 1985 | 22.9% | +10.1% |
| 1988 | 15.2% | -33.6% |
| 1989 | 15.4% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 22.7% | +48.1% |
| 1994 | 18.4% | -19.1% |
| 1995 | 20.2% | +9.8% |
| 1997 | 26.1% | +29.0% |
| 1999 | 23.4% | -10.3% |
| 2000 | 19.1% | -18.1% |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +20.0% |
| 2002 | 23.5% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 31.5% | +34.1% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | -13.8% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | +19.8% |
| 2006 | 29.0% | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 24.2% | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | -42.5% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | -21.9% |
| 2024 | 10.4% | -5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 20.7% | 15.2% | 29.4% | 5 |
| 1990s | 22.2% | 18.4% | 26.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 26.2% | 19.1% | 32.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 13.9% | 15.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 2 |
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Lesotho was 10.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 32.5% in 2005.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Lesotho ranks 144th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release