Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes was 124,175 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
124,175
Change on year
up 5.8%
World rank
55th
of 204 countries
All-time high
176,214
in 1999
All-time low
45,730
in 2006
Years of data
53
1970–2024
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 124,175 for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% on the previous year and up 129.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 176,214 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 45,730, in 2006.
That places Lesotho 55th out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 76,253 | — |
| 1971 | 85,877 | +12.6% |
| 1972 | 86,090 | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 86,494 | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 70,637 | -18.3% |
| 1976 | 70,765 | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 68,898 | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 85,525 | +24.1% |
| 1979 | 85,114 | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 87,996 | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 91,530 | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 85,397 | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 92,542 | +8.4% |
| 1984 | 96,341 | +4.1% |
| 1985 | 96,530 | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 103,654 | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 91,759 | -11.5% |
| 1988 | 93,594 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 101,173 | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 110,070 | +8.8% |
| 1991 | 110,768 | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 115,033 | +3.9% |
| 1993 | 128,117 | +11.4% |
| 1994 | 130,780 | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 140,362 | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 142,900 | +1.8% |
| 1998 | 168,634 | +18.0% |
| 1999 | 176,214 | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 96,087 | -45.5% |
| 2001 | 85,291 | -11.2% |
| 2002 | 73,269 | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 62,979 | -14.0% |
| 2004 | 62,517 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 55,864 | -10.6% |
| 2006 | 45,730 | -18.1% |
| 2007 | 51,562 | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 49,096 | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 51,684 | +5.3% |
| 2010 | 49,781 | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 48,923 | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 48,875 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 48,661 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 54,096 | +11.2% |
| 2015 | 57,261 | +5.9% |
| 2016 | 55,889 | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 51,629 | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 71,625 | +38.7% |
| 2019 | 82,562 | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 89,478 | +8.4% |
| 2021 | 113,157 | +26.5% |
| 2022 | 110,928 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 117,314 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 124,175 | +5.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 124,175 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 76,741, 1.6× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 124,175 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 224,299, 55% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 79,517 | 68,898 | 86,494 | 9 |
| 1980s | 94,052 | 85,397 | 103,654 | 10 |
| 1990s | 135,875 | 110,070 | 176,214 | 9 |
| 2000s | 63,408 | 45,730 | 96,087 | 10 |
| 2010s | 56,930 | 48,661 | 82,562 | 10 |
| 2020s | 111,010 | 89,478 | 124,175 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 52 Equatorial Guinea 128,846 compare
- 53 Kazakhstan 128,155 compare
- 54 Canada 127,666 compare
- 56 Paraguay 105,859 compare
- 57 El Salvador 101,024 compare
- 58 Ecuador 86,090 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 children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes in Lesotho was 124,175 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 176,214 in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 45,730 in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 55th out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school children of primary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 129.5%. 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 of primary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release