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 17.4% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, 1971–2016
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho is 17.4%, measured in 2016.
The figure is up 15.2% on the previous year and up 72.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 39.3% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2011.
Lesotho ranks 34th of 150 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 35.9% | — |
| 1973 | 30.8% | -14.2% |
| 1977 | 39.3% | +27.8% |
| 1978 | 25.2% | -36.0% |
| 1979 | 26.1% | +3.9% |
| 1980 | 28.6% | +9.6% |
| 1981 | 26.5% | -7.4% |
| 1982 | 25.3% | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 22.1% | -12.6% |
| 1984 | 28.6% | +29.3% |
| 1985 | 24.9% | -12.9% |
| 1986 | 28.4% | +14.1% |
| 1991 | 26.6% | -6.3% |
| 1992 | 26.4% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 28.9% | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 27.6% | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 26.8% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 29.1% | +8.5% |
| 1999 | 25.9% | -10.9% |
| 2000 | 27.9% | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 23.6% | -15.4% |
| 2002 | 21.3% | -9.8% |
| 2003 | 16.2% | -24.1% |
| 2004 | 14.4% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 10.5% | -27.3% |
| 2006 | 10.1% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 13.1% | +30.1% |
| 2008 | 11.7% | -10.4% |
| 2009 | 10.2% | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 8.2% | -20.1% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | -12.6% |
| 2012 | 8.2% | +15.0% |
| 2013 | 8.7% | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 11.9% | +36.5% |
| 2015 | 15.1% | +26.7% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | +15.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 17.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.3%, 1.4× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 17.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.4%, 81% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 31.5% | 25.2% | 39.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 26.4% | 22.1% | 28.6% | 7 |
| 1990s | 27.3% | 25.9% | 29.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 15.9% | 10.1% | 27.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.9% | 7.2% | 17.4% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 31 Puerto Rico 19.6% compare
- 32 Malawi 18.6% compare
- 33 Jamaica 17.9% compare
- 35 El Salvador 17.0% compare
- 36 Indonesia 16.3% compare
- 37 Republic of Moldova 15.5% 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 17.4% in 2016, 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 39.3% 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 7.2% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 34th out of 150 countries with data for 2016.
- 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 72.7%. 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
Number of adolescents of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official lower secondary school age.