Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest was 6.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
6.7%
World rank
18th
of 35 countries
All-time high
18.3%
in 2005
All-time low
5.4%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2005–2023
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho, 2005–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho stood at 6.7%.
The figure is down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho peaked at 18.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 2018.
Lesotho ranks 18th of 35 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18.3% | — |
| 2009 | 11.1% | -39.3% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | -31.6% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | -29.0% |
| 2023 | 6.7% | +24.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 6.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.6%, 78% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 6.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.5%, 22% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 14.7% | 11.1% | 18.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 5.4% | 7.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 6.7% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 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, poorest in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest in Lesotho was 6.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 18.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest?
- Lesotho ranks 18th out of 35 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, poorest rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. 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 of primary school age, rural, poorest quintile, 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