Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 56,273 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho is 56,273, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 44 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 63.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 56,273 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 27,983, in 1981.
That places Lesotho 82nd out of 184 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 44 years of available data.
Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 31,276 | — |
| 1973 | 33,672 | +7.7% |
| 1977 | 40,984 | +21.7% |
| 1978 | 34,449 | -15.9% |
| 1979 | 33,947 | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 30,570 | -9.9% |
| 1981 | 27,983 | -8.5% |
| 1982 | 28,295 | +1.1% |
| 1983 | 31,194 | +10.2% |
| 1984 | 30,029 | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 30,768 | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 30,005 | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 33,332 | +11.1% |
| 1992 | 37,318 | +12.0% |
| 1993 | 41,098 | +10.1% |
| 1994 | 40,430 | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 39,650 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 38,169 | -3.7% |
| 1999 | 34,445 | -9.8% |
| 2000 | 48,821 | +41.7% |
| 2001 | 47,682 | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 47,721 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 45,152 | -5.4% |
| 2004 | 40,437 | -10.4% |
| 2005 | 41,561 | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 39,453 | -5.1% |
| 2007 | 40,878 | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 39,560 | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 37,729 | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 31,588 | -16.3% |
| 2011 | 29,825 | -5.6% |
| 2012 | 29,694 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 33,424 | +12.6% |
| 2014 | 34,446 | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 33,475 | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 30,806 | -8.0% |
| 2017 | 31,365 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 38,356 | +22.3% |
| 2019 | 44,999 | +17.3% |
| 2020 | 50,674 | +12.6% |
| 2021 | 49,869 | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 49,611 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 55,789 | +12.5% |
| 2024 | 56,273 | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34,866 | 31,276 | 40,984 | 5 |
| 1980s | 29,835 | 27,983 | 31,194 | 7 |
| 1990s | 37,777 | 33,332 | 41,098 | 7 |
| 2000s | 42,899 | 37,729 | 48,821 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33,798 | 29,694 | 44,999 | 10 |
| 2020s | 52,443 | 49,611 | 56,273 | 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 youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho?
- Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho was 56,273 in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 56,273 in 2024.
- What is the lowest out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,983 in 1981.
- How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 82nd out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 63.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release