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 26.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
26.3%
World rank
14th
of 45 countries
All-time high
28.0%
in 2009
All-time low
25.3%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2005–2023
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, 2005–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 26.3% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2023.
The figure is up 3.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 28.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 25.3%, in 2018.
That places Lesotho 14th out of 45 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 26.2% | — |
| 2009 | 28.0% | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | -8.6% |
| 2018 | 25.3% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 26.3% | +4.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 26.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.4%, 1.1× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 26.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.3%, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 27.1% | 26.2% | 28.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 25.4% | 25.3% | 25.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 26.3% | 26.3% | 26.3% | 1 |
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 of lower secondary school age in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho was 26.3% in 2023, 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 28.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.3% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 14th out of 45 countries with data for 2023.
- 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 3.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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, rural, male (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release