Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry was 38,695 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho, 2005–2020
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho is 38,695, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho peaked at 38,695 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 30,486, in 2005.
That places Lesotho 59th out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 30,486 | — |
| 2013 | 30,810 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 34,806 | +13.0% |
| 2015 | 32,319 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 33,268 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 34,171 | +2.7% |
| 2018 | 36,790 | +7.7% |
| 2019 | 37,813 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 38,695 | +2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 38,695 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 86,572, 45% of the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 38,695 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 97,400, 40% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 30,486 | 30,486 | 30,486 | 1 |
| 2010s | 34,282 | 30,810 | 37,813 | 7 |
| 2020s | 38,695 | 38,695 | 38,695 | 1 |
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, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry in Lesotho was 38,695 in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 38,695 in 2020.
- What is the lowest out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 30,486 in 2005.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry?
- Lesotho ranks 59th out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is out-of-school children, one year before the official primary entry rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. 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 children, one year before the official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release