Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both was 3.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.9%
World rank
24th
of 45 countries
All-time high
9.7%
in 2005
All-time low
3.0%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2005–2023
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho, 2005–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 3.9% for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho peaked at 9.7% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2018.
Lesotho ranks 24th of 45 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9.7% | — |
| 2009 | 6.6% | -31.3% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -34.8% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -31.4% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | +29.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 3.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7.6%, 51% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 3.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.7%, 21% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.2% | 6.6% | 9.7% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 1 |
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 of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both in Lesotho was 3.9% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 9.7% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both?
- Lesotho ranks 24th out of 45 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, both rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.0%. 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 of primary school age, rural, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release