Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female was 31.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
31.8%
Change on year
up 4.9%
World rank
18th
of 180 countries
All-time high
42.9%
in 1999
All-time low
12.1%
in 2006
Years of data
52
1970–2024
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho stood at 31.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.9% on the previous year and up 118.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho peaked at 42.9% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 12.1%, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 18th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 25.1% | — |
| 1972 | 29.6% | +17.8% |
| 1973 | 29.7% | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 20.4% | -31.1% |
| 1976 | 19.3% | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 17.3% | -10.2% |
| 1978 | 25.1% | +44.8% |
| 1979 | 23.4% | -6.5% |
| 1980 | 24.3% | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 25.2% | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 21.7% | -13.9% |
| 1983 | 23.6% | +8.6% |
| 1984 | 23.8% | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 22.9% | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 24.5% | +6.9% |
| 1987 | 20.4% | -16.6% |
| 1988 | 20.6% | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 22.8% | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 25.1% | +10.5% |
| 1991 | 24.6% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 25.6% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 29.1% | +13.7% |
| 1994 | 29.6% | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 32.3% | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 32.4% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 40.0% | +23.5% |
| 1999 | 42.9% | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 22.8% | -46.9% |
| 2001 | 20.3% | -10.7% |
| 2002 | 17.8% | -12.5% |
| 2003 | 15.4% | -13.5% |
| 2004 | 16.1% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 14.6% | -8.9% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | -17.1% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | +19.7% |
| 2008 | 13.5% | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 13.9% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 13.7% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 13.7% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 13.5% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 13.0% | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 14.6% | +11.7% |
| 2015 | 15.5% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 13.9% | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 19.0% | +36.4% |
| 2019 | 19.8% | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 23.6% | +19.5% |
| 2021 | 29.6% | +25.4% |
| 2022 | 29.0% | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 30.3% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | +4.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 31.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.6%, 3.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 31.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.1%, 2.0× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 23.8% | 17.3% | 29.7% | 8 |
| 1980s | 23.0% | 20.4% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.3% | 24.6% | 42.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.1% | 12.1% | 22.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.2% | 13.0% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.8% | 23.6% | 31.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 15 Yemen 34.9% compare
- 16 Burkina Faso 33.7% compare
- 17 Kenya 31.9% compare
- 19 Guinea-Bissau 31.7% compare
- 20 Solomon Islands 30.8% compare
- 21 Chad 30.6% 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 children of primary school age, female in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female in Lesotho was 31.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 42.9% in 1999.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.1% in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female?
- Lesotho ranks 18th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 118.1%. 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 of primary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release