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 7.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
7.3%
World rank
15th
of 37 countries
All-time high
21.6%
in 2005
All-time low
7.3%
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
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho is 7.3%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 16.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 21.6% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2018.
That places Lesotho 15th out of 37 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 | 21.6% | — |
| 2009 | 12.2% | -43.7% |
| 2014 | 8.8% | -28.0% |
| 2018 | 7.3% | -17.0% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | +0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 7.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.5%, 98% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 7.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.7%, 54% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.9% | 12.2% | 21.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.0% | 7.3% | 8.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 12 Sierra Leone 9.0% compare
- 13 Nigeria 9.0% compare
- 14 Cameroon 7.5% compare
- 16 Honduras 7.1% compare
- 17 Kyrgyzstan 6.1% compare
- 18 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 5.9% 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 7.3% 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 21.6% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 15th out of 37 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 down 16.4%. 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, urban, fourth quintile, both sexes (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