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
12th
of 37 countries
All-time high
9.9%
in 2005
All-time low
6.0%
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 7.3% for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in 2023.
That represents a change of up 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age in Lesotho peaked at 9.9% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 2018.
That places Lesotho 12th 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 | 9.9% | — |
| 2009 | 7.4% | -25.4% |
| 2014 | 6.8% | -7.8% |
| 2018 | 6.0% | -11.9% |
| 2023 | 7.3% | +22.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 7.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.3%, 1.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 7.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.6%, 76% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.6% | 7.4% | 9.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.4% | 6.0% | 6.8% | 2 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 9 Zambia 9.9% compare
- 10 Mozambique 9.3% compare
- 11 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 9.0% compare
- 13 Bangladesh 6.8% compare
- 14 Sierra Leone 6.4% compare
- 15 Nigeria 6.3% 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 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 9.9% 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 6.0% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age?
- Lesotho ranks 12th 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 up 8.2%. 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, richest 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