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 34.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
34.4%
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
15th
of 171 countries
All-time high
35.1%
in 1999
All-time low
14.8%
in 2011
Years of data
44
1972–2024
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, 1972–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 34.4% for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in 2024.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 107.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho peaked at 35.1% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 14.8%, in 2011.
Lesotho ranks 15th of 171 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 34.8% | — |
| 1973 | 32.3% | -7.1% |
| 1977 | 28.1% | -13.1% |
| 1978 | 25.6% | -8.6% |
| 1979 | 24.6% | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 24.3% | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 23.8% | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 21.6% | -9.3% |
| 1983 | 22.4% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 23.9% | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 22.4% | -6.3% |
| 1986 | 23.9% | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 23.1% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 24.9% | +8.2% |
| 1993 | 28.8% | +15.5% |
| 1994 | 28.7% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 30.2% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 34.8% | +15.1% |
| 1999 | 35.1% | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 26.8% | -23.5% |
| 2001 | 25.0% | -6.7% |
| 2002 | 23.3% | -6.8% |
| 2003 | 20.4% | -12.4% |
| 2004 | 19.7% | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 17.9% | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 16.0% | -10.8% |
| 2007 | 18.3% | +14.4% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 16.2% | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 14.8% | -8.4% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 15.0% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 15.4% | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 16.5% | +7.6% |
| 2015 | 17.6% | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 17.8% | +1.0% |
| 2017 | 16.9% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 21.9% | +29.5% |
| 2019 | 23.5% | +7.0% |
| 2020 | 27.1% | +15.8% |
| 2021 | 31.2% | +15.0% |
| 2022 | 31.3% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 33.5% | +7.2% |
| 2024 | 34.4% | +2.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 34.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.1%, 1.9× the median. (35 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 34.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.5%, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 29.1% | 24.6% | 34.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 23.2% | 21.6% | 24.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 29.4% | 23.1% | 35.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 16.0% | 26.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.4% | 14.8% | 23.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 27.1% | 34.4% | 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 34.4% 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 35.1% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.8% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
- Lesotho ranks 15th 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 107.8%. 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, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release