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 33.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
33.5%
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
13th
of 169 countries
All-time high
52.0%
in 1973
All-time low
16.3%
in 2006
Years of data
43
1973–2024
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho, 1973–2024
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 33.5%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 91.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho peaked at 52.0% in 1973 and was at its lowest, 16.3%, in 2006.
That places Lesotho 13th out of 169 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 52.0% | — |
| 1977 | 46.3% | -10.8% |
| 1978 | 47.1% | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 46.2% | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 46.3% | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 44.8% | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 41.4% | -7.7% |
| 1983 | 41.0% | -1.0% |
| 1984 | 41.9% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 39.7% | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 41.2% | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 38.0% | -7.7% |
| 1992 | 37.7% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 39.6% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 38.5% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 39.0% | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 43.4% | +11.2% |
| 1999 | 44.2% | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 29.6% | -33.1% |
| 2001 | 26.9% | -9.1% |
| 2002 | 24.5% | -8.9% |
| 2003 | 21.8% | -11.2% |
| 2004 | 21.0% | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 18.4% | -12.4% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | -11.5% |
| 2007 | 18.1% | +11.1% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 17.7% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 16.5% | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 16.3% | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 16.5% | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 16.4% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 17.5% | +6.5% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 19.4% | +4.7% |
| 2017 | 17.7% | -8.5% |
| 2018 | 22.3% | +26.1% |
| 2019 | 26.0% | +16.4% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 31.3% | +19.6% |
| 2022 | 31.0% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 32.5% | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 33.5% | +3.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 33.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.7%, 3.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 33.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.5%, 1.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 47.9% | 46.2% | 52.0% | 4 |
| 1980s | 42.3% | 39.7% | 46.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 40.1% | 37.7% | 44.2% | 7 |
| 2000s | 21.1% | 16.3% | 29.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.7% | 16.3% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.9% | 26.2% | 33.5% | 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 33.5% 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 52.0% in 1973.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.3% in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
- Lesotho ranks 13th out of 169 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 91.5%. 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, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 43 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release