Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both was 105,443 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
105,443
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
75th
of 179 countries
All-time high
105,443
in 2024
All-time low
46,818
in 2011
Years of data
44
1971–2024
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 105,443 for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 99.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho peaked at 105,443 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 46,818, in 2011.
Lesotho ranks 75th of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 57,520 | — |
| 1973 | 59,439 | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 76,091 | +28.0% |
| 1978 | 56,646 | -25.6% |
| 1979 | 56,720 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 55,913 | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 51,986 | -7.0% |
| 1982 | 51,509 | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 51,351 | -0.3% |
| 1984 | 57,331 | +11.6% |
| 1985 | 54,544 | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 59,164 | +8.5% |
| 1991 | 62,314 | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 68,000 | +9.1% |
| 1993 | 76,881 | +13.1% |
| 1994 | 75,765 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 76,420 | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 81,263 | +6.3% |
| 1999 | 73,698 | -9.3% |
| 2000 | 92,378 | +25.3% |
| 2001 | 87,450 | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 86,351 | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 77,546 | -10.2% |
| 2004 | 69,338 | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 63,260 | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 59,124 | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 63,772 | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 59,395 | -6.9% |
| 2009 | 55,098 | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 47,525 | -13.7% |
| 2011 | 46,818 | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 48,095 | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 50,798 | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 52,740 | +3.8% |
| 2015 | 55,464 | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 59,038 | +6.4% |
| 2017 | 58,135 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 69,301 | +19.2% |
| 2019 | 77,365 | +11.6% |
| 2020 | 87,131 | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 90,705 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 94,448 | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 104,098 | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 105,443 | +1.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 105,443 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 371,046, 28% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 105,443 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 741,414, 14% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 61,283 | 56,646 | 76,091 | 5 |
| 1980s | 54,543 | 51,351 | 59,164 | 7 |
| 1990s | 73,477 | 62,314 | 81,263 | 7 |
| 2000s | 71,371 | 55,098 | 92,378 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56,528 | 46,818 | 77,365 | 10 |
| 2020s | 96,365 | 87,131 | 105,443 | 5 |
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 out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both in Lesotho was 105,443 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 105,443 in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 46,818 in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both?
- Lesotho ranks 75th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 99.9%. 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 Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release