Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age was 32.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.3%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
26th
of 183 countries
All-time high
39.8%
in 1977
All-time low
11.6%
in 2010
Years of data
44
1971–2024
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 32.3% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 135.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 39.8% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 2010.
Lesotho ranks 26th of 183 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 of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 34.9% | — |
| 1973 | 31.8% | -8.8% |
| 1977 | 39.8% | +25.1% |
| 1978 | 24.8% | -37.8% |
| 1979 | 24.9% | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 27.1% | +8.5% |
| 1981 | 24.9% | -7.8% |
| 1982 | 23.5% | -5.8% |
| 1983 | 19.9% | -15.5% |
| 1984 | 26.1% | +31.7% |
| 1985 | 22.1% | -15.6% |
| 1986 | 26.2% | +18.6% |
| 1991 | 22.7% | -13.1% |
| 1992 | 23.2% | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 26.2% | +12.8% |
| 1994 | 25.1% | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 24.7% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 27.7% | +12.3% |
| 1999 | 24.9% | -10.0% |
| 2000 | 27.4% | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 24.7% | -9.9% |
| 2002 | 23.9% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | -15.7% |
| 2004 | 18.4% | -8.7% |
| 2005 | 14.2% | -22.9% |
| 2006 | 13.2% | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 15.8% | +19.3% |
| 2008 | 14.0% | -11.2% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | -10.7% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | -7.6% |
| 2011 | 12.3% | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 13.4% | +8.9% |
| 2013 | 12.8% | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 16.3% | +19.2% |
| 2016 | 20.4% | +24.7% |
| 2017 | 18.8% | -7.7% |
| 2018 | 21.5% | +14.6% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | +5.3% |
| 2020 | 25.7% | +13.2% |
| 2021 | 28.3% | +10.2% |
| 2022 | 30.3% | +7.2% |
| 2023 | 32.0% | +5.6% |
| 2024 | 32.3% | +0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 32.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.7%, 2.3× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 32.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 29.3%, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.2% | 24.8% | 39.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 24.2% | 19.9% | 27.1% | 7 |
| 1990s | 24.9% | 22.7% | 27.7% | 7 |
| 2000s | 18.4% | 12.5% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.3% | 11.6% | 22.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.7% | 25.7% | 32.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 23 Iraq 33.1% compare
- 24 Lebanon 32.5% compare
- 25 Guatemala 32.4% compare
- 27 Papua New Guinea 31.3% compare
- 28 Côte d'Ivoire 30.8% compare
- 29 Mauritania 30.3% 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 rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho was 32.3% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 39.8% in 1977.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 2010.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 26th out of 183 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 135.8%. 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 of lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release