Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 38.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
38.0%
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
12th
of 171 countries
All-time high
54.5%
in 1973
All-time low
19.5%
in 2011
Years of data
43
1973–2024
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, 1973–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 38.0% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 78.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho peaked at 54.5% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 19.5%, in 2011.
Lesotho ranks 12th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 54.5% | — |
| 1977 | 50.6% | -7.1% |
| 1978 | 49.8% | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 48.7% | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 48.0% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 46.1% | -4.0% |
| 1982 | 42.9% | -7.1% |
| 1983 | 43.0% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 43.4% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 41.4% | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 42.4% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 39.6% | -6.6% |
| 1992 | 39.5% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 41.5% | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 40.2% | -3.1% |
| 1996 | 39.9% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 43.5% | +9.1% |
| 1999 | 43.3% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 32.5% | -24.8% |
| 2001 | 29.9% | -8.2% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | -6.2% |
| 2003 | 25.4% | -9.4% |
| 2004 | 24.0% | -5.5% |
| 2005 | 22.3% | -7.0% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | -8.7% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 21.5% | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 21.9% | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 19.9% | -8.9% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 19.7% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | +2.2% |
| 2014 | 21.3% | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 22.0% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 22.3% | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 21.0% | -5.9% |
| 2018 | 26.0% | +23.9% |
| 2019 | 30.1% | +15.6% |
| 2020 | 31.2% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 35.4% | +13.4% |
| 2022 | 35.1% | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 37.1% | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 38.0% | +2.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 38.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 2.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 38.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.6%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50.9% | 48.7% | 54.5% | 4 |
| 1980s | 43.9% | 41.4% | 48.0% | 7 |
| 1990s | 41.1% | 39.5% | 43.5% | 7 |
| 2000s | 24.8% | 20.4% | 32.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 22.2% | 19.5% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.3% | 31.2% | 38.0% | 5 |
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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho was 38.0% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 54.5% in 1973.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.5% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Lesotho ranks 12th out of 171 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 78.0%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release