Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second was 2.7% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
2.7%
World rank
23rd
of 35 countries
All-time high
11.3%
in 2005
All-time low
1.7%
in 2018
Years of data
5
2005–2023
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second 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, second in Lesotho stood at 2.7%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 36.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second in Lesotho peaked at 11.3% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2018.
Lesotho ranks 23rd of 35 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 11.3% | — |
| 2009 | 6.4% | -43.1% |
| 2014 | 4.3% | -33.6% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | -59.4% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | +57.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.0%, 45% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.6%, 13% of the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 8.9% | 6.4% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 1.7% | 4.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 20 Colombia 3.9% compare
- 21 El Salvador 2.9% compare
- 22 Jordan 2.8% compare
- 24 Mexico 2.3% compare
- 25 Dominican Republic 1.8% compare
- 26 Kyrgyzstan 1.7% 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, rural, second in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second in Lesotho was 2.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 2005.
- What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2018.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second?
- Lesotho ranks 23rd out of 35 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-school rate for children of primary school age, rural, second rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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, second quintile, both sexes (household survey data) (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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