Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 42.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
42.4%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
24th
of 179 countries
All-time high
52.9%
in 1977
All-time low
20.4%
in 2011
Years of data
44
1971–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 42.4% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 80.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho peaked at 52.9% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 20.4%, in 2011.
Lesotho ranks 24th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 48.4% | — |
| 1973 | 45.9% | -5.0% |
| 1977 | 52.9% | +15.1% |
| 1978 | 38.6% | -27.0% |
| 1979 | 37.9% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 36.6% | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 33.3% | -9.1% |
| 1982 | 32.1% | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 31.2% | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 33.9% | +8.6% |
| 1985 | 31.3% | -7.6% |
| 1986 | 32.9% | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 30.6% | -7.0% |
| 1992 | 32.2% | +5.3% |
| 1993 | 35.1% | +9.2% |
| 1994 | 33.5% | -4.7% |
| 1996 | 31.8% | -5.0% |
| 1998 | 32.3% | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 28.9% | -10.7% |
| 2000 | 35.7% | +23.8% |
| 2001 | 33.4% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 32.8% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 29.5% | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 26.6% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 24.6% | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 23.6% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 26.0% | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 24.8% | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 23.4% | -5.5% |
| 2010 | 20.5% | -12.5% |
| 2011 | 20.4% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 21.1% | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 22.5% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 23.5% | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 24.7% | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 26.1% | +5.5% |
| 2017 | 25.3% | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 29.7% | +17.6% |
| 2019 | 32.8% | +10.4% |
| 2020 | 36.7% | +11.9% |
| 2021 | 37.9% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 39.1% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 42.5% | +8.7% |
| 2024 | 42.4% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 44.7% | 37.9% | 52.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 33.0% | 31.2% | 36.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 32.1% | 28.9% | 35.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 28.0% | 23.4% | 35.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.7% | 20.4% | 32.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.7% | 36.7% | 42.5% | 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho was 42.4% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 1977.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.4% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Lesotho ranks 24th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 80.6%. 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). 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