Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 120,961 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
120,961
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
63rd
of 171 countries
All-time high
138,220
in 1998
All-time low
54,471
in 2011
Years of data
43
1973–2024
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho, 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho stood at 120,961.
The figure is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 100.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho peaked at 138,220 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 54,471, in 2011.
That places Lesotho 63rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 91,361 | — |
| 1977 | 92,916 | +1.7% |
| 1978 | 93,525 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 93,973 | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 95,280 | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 94,401 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 90,874 | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 94,504 | +4.0% |
| 1984 | 99,072 | +4.8% |
| 1985 | 98,054 | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 104,256 | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 109,383 | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 112,003 | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 120,583 | +7.7% |
| 1994 | 119,978 | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 124,138 | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 138,220 | +11.3% |
| 1999 | 137,577 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 103,013 | -25.1% |
| 2001 | 93,826 | -8.9% |
| 2002 | 86,960 | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 77,722 | -10.6% |
| 2004 | 72,280 | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 65,898 | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 58,597 | -11.1% |
| 2007 | 63,250 | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 60,410 | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 61,330 | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 55,781 | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 54,471 | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 55,045 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 56,438 | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 60,260 | +6.8% |
| 2015 | 62,758 | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 64,093 | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 60,920 | -5.0% |
| 2018 | 76,672 | +25.9% |
| 2019 | 90,073 | +17.5% |
| 2020 | 94,621 | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 108,510 | +14.7% |
| 2022 | 108,828 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 116,642 | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 120,961 | +3.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 120,961 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 259,138, 47% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 120,961 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 586,935, 21% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 92,944 | 91,361 | 93,973 | 4 |
| 1980s | 96,634 | 90,874 | 104,256 | 7 |
| 1990s | 123,126 | 109,383 | 138,220 | 7 |
| 2000s | 74,329 | 58,597 | 103,013 | 10 |
| 2010s | 63,651 | 54,471 | 90,073 | 10 |
| 2020s | 109,912 | 94,621 | 120,961 | 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho was 120,961 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 138,220 in 1998.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 54,471 in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
- Lesotho ranks 63rd out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.7%. 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 Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release