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 46.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
46.4%
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
21st
of 175 countries
All-time high
61.2%
in 1977
All-time low
24.5%
in 2011
Years of data
43
1973–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 46.4% for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in 2024.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 69.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho peaked at 61.2% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 24.5%, in 2011.
That places Lesotho 21st out of 175 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 55.7% | — |
| 1977 | 61.2% | +9.9% |
| 1978 | 51.0% | -16.6% |
| 1979 | 49.8% | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 49.2% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 45.4% | -7.8% |
| 1982 | 43.2% | -4.9% |
| 1983 | 42.3% | -2.1% |
| 1984 | 43.9% | +4.0% |
| 1985 | 41.3% | -6.1% |
| 1986 | 43.2% | +4.6% |
| 1991 | 40.8% | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 40.6% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 42.0% | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 39.8% | -5.2% |
| 1996 | 37.0% | -7.2% |
| 1998 | 37.8% | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 34.4% | -9.1% |
| 2000 | 38.9% | +13.1% |
| 2001 | 35.3% | -9.2% |
| 2002 | 34.9% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 31.9% | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 28.8% | -9.8% |
| 2005 | 27.0% | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 26.3% | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 28.9% | +9.8% |
| 2008 | 27.8% | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 24.5% | -10.7% |
| 2011 | 24.5% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 25.0% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 26.2% | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 27.5% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 28.5% | +3.9% |
| 2016 | 30.0% | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 29.1% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 33.0% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 36.5% | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 40.8% | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 42.2% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 43.4% | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 46.4% | +7.1% |
| 2024 | 46.4% | -0.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 46.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.4%, 1.9× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 46.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 39.2%, 1.2× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 54.4% | 49.8% | 61.2% | 4 |
| 1980s | 44.1% | 41.3% | 49.2% | 7 |
| 1990s | 38.9% | 34.4% | 42.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 30.7% | 26.3% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.5% | 24.5% | 36.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.8% | 40.8% | 46.4% | 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 46.4% 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 61.2% 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 24.5% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
- Lesotho ranks 21st out of 175 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 69.0%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release