Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 32.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.2%
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
17th
of 181 countries
All-time high
40.9%
in 1971
All-time low
13.8%
in 2006
Years of data
44
1971–2024
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho is 32.2%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 110.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho peaked at 40.9% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 17th of 181 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 40.9% | — |
| 1973 | 38.9% | -4.7% |
| 1977 | 33.2% | -14.8% |
| 1978 | 33.6% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 32.8% | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 33.4% | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 32.9% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 29.9% | -9.3% |
| 1983 | 29.9% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 31.5% | +5.6% |
| 1985 | 29.6% | -6.3% |
| 1986 | 31.4% | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 29.4% | -6.5% |
| 1992 | 29.8% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 32.7% | +9.7% |
| 1994 | 32.3% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 33.6% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 39.0% | +16.2% |
| 1999 | 39.9% | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 26.1% | -34.6% |
| 2001 | 23.7% | -9.3% |
| 2002 | 21.5% | -9.1% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | -13.3% |
| 2004 | 18.3% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 15.9% | -13.0% |
| 2006 | 13.8% | -13.4% |
| 2007 | 15.9% | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 14.8% | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 14.9% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 14.1% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 14.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 14.4% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 15.3% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 16.6% | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 17.4% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 16.0% | -8.0% |
| 2018 | 20.6% | +28.9% |
| 2019 | 22.8% | +10.8% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 29.8% | +20.5% |
| 2022 | 29.7% | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 31.1% | +4.8% |
| 2024 | 32.2% | +3.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 32.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.0%, 3.6× the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 32.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.3%, 1.7× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 35.9% | 32.8% | 40.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 31.2% | 29.6% | 33.4% | 7 |
| 1990s | 33.8% | 29.4% | 39.9% | 7 |
| 2000s | 18.3% | 13.8% | 26.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.5% | 14.1% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.5% | 24.7% | 32.2% | 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho was 32.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 40.9% in 1971.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Lesotho ranks 17th out of 181 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 110.4%. 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 children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release