Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female was 47,660 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
47,660
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
74th
of 175 countries
All-time high
47,660
in 2024
All-time low
16,986
in 1983
Years of data
44
1972–2024
Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in Lesotho, 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in Lesotho stood at 47,660. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 117.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in Lesotho peaked at 47,660 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 16,986, in 1983.
That places Lesotho 74th out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 27,265 | — |
| 1973 | 23,871 | -12.4% |
| 1977 | 32,546 | +36.3% |
| 1978 | 19,684 | -39.5% |
| 1979 | 20,024 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 18,888 | -5.7% |
| 1981 | 17,071 | -9.6% |
| 1982 | 17,371 | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 16,986 | -2.2% |
| 1984 | 20,547 | +21.0% |
| 1985 | 18,921 | -7.9% |
| 1986 | 20,656 | +9.2% |
| 1991 | 20,817 | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 25,402 | +22.0% |
| 1993 | 31,355 | +23.4% |
| 1994 | 31,299 | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 32,828 | +4.9% |
| 1998 | 34,491 | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 30,378 | -11.9% |
| 2000 | 42,661 | +40.4% |
| 2001 | 41,605 | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 40,792 | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 35,839 | -12.1% |
| 2004 | 32,041 | -10.6% |
| 2005 | 28,722 | -10.4% |
| 2006 | 26,439 | -7.9% |
| 2007 | 28,629 | +8.3% |
| 2008 | 26,299 | -8.1% |
| 2009 | 22,907 | -12.9% |
| 2010 | 19,163 | -16.3% |
| 2011 | 18,768 | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 19,669 | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 21,286 | +8.2% |
| 2014 | 21,943 | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 23,446 | +6.8% |
| 2016 | 25,064 | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 24,696 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 30,753 | +24.5% |
| 2019 | 34,265 | +11.4% |
| 2020 | 38,650 | +12.8% |
| 2021 | 40,253 | +4.1% |
| 2022 | 42,061 | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 47,184 | +12.2% |
| 2024 | 47,660 | +1.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 47,660 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 190,766, 25% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 47,660 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 361,629, 13% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 24,678 | 19,684 | 32,546 | 5 |
| 1980s | 18,634 | 16,986 | 20,656 | 7 |
| 1990s | 29,510 | 20,817 | 34,491 | 7 |
| 2000s | 32,593 | 22,907 | 42,661 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,905 | 18,768 | 34,265 | 10 |
| 2020s | 43,162 | 38,650 | 47,660 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 71 Cuba 51,204 compare
- 72 Kazakhstan 49,521 compare
- 73 Panama 49,034 compare
- 75 Palestine, State of 46,993 compare
- 76 France 43,723 compare
- 77 Kyrgyzstan 43,147 compare
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, female in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female in Lesotho was 47,660 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 47,660 in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,986 in 1983.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female?
- Lesotho ranks 74th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school adolescents and youth of secondary school age, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 117.2%. 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, female (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