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 13.2% in 2016. ▼ Falling
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, 1972–2016
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 13.2%, measured in 2016.
The figure is up 21.2% on the previous year and up 143.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 26.7% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 2011.
That places Lesotho 40th out of 134 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 23.6% | — |
| 1973 | 15.9% | -32.6% |
| 1977 | 26.7% | +68.0% |
| 1978 | 8.1% | -69.5% |
| 1979 | 10.3% | +26.8% |
| 1980 | 12.4% | +19.9% |
| 1981 | 12.0% | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 11.7% | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 8.5% | -27.8% |
| 1984 | 17.0% | +100.3% |
| 1985 | 13.1% | -22.5% |
| 1986 | 16.8% | +27.6% |
| 1991 | 15.0% | -10.3% |
| 1992 | 15.6% | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 19.3% | +23.9% |
| 1994 | 18.9% | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 19.1% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 22.9% | +19.7% |
| 1999 | 18.7% | -18.6% |
| 2000 | 22.5% | +20.3% |
| 2001 | 19.4% | -13.8% |
| 2002 | 17.1% | -11.6% |
| 2003 | 11.3% | -34.1% |
| 2004 | 9.9% | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 6.3% | -35.8% |
| 2006 | 5.4% | -14.1% |
| 2007 | 8.7% | +59.2% |
| 2008 | 7.9% | -8.6% |
| 2009 | 5.1% | -35.0% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -31.3% |
| 2011 | 2.1% | -39.4% |
| 2012 | 3.8% | +76.3% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | -7.0% |
| 2014 | 7.1% | +102.6% |
| 2015 | 10.9% | +53.9% |
| 2016 | 13.2% | +21.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 13.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.4%, 1.2× the median. (31 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 13.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.6%, 50% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16.9% | 8.1% | 26.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 13.1% | 8.5% | 17.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 18.5% | 15.0% | 22.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 11.4% | 5.1% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.3% | 2.1% | 13.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 37 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 13.8% compare
- 38 Indonesia 13.5% compare
- 39 Bulgaria 13.3% compare
- 41 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 13.2% compare
- 42 South Africa 13.2% compare
- 43 Cape Verde 13.2% 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 13.2% 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 26.7% 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 2.1% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 40th out of 134 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 143.4%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of females of official lower secondary school age who are not enrolled in lower secondary school expressed as a percentage of the female population of official lower secondary school age.