Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho
Lesotho: Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education was 42.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho stood at 42.6%. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 32.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho peaked at 89.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 42.6%, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 20th out of 184 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 89.5% | — |
| 1999 | 76.7% | -14.3% |
| 2000 | 72.1% | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 69.6% | -3.5% |
| 2002 | 67.2% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 68.4% | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 71.1% | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 69.8% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 69.8% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 72.2% | +3.4% |
| 2008 | 69.8% | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 70.8% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 70.4% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 68.4% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 66.1% | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 65.0% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 63.3% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 62.2% | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 60.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 58.9% | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 56.2% | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 52.2% | -7.3% |
| 2020 | 47.3% | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 45.9% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 44.0% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 43.0% | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 42.6% | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 83.1% | 76.7% | 89.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 70.1% | 67.2% | 72.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.4% | 52.2% | 70.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.6% | 42.6% | 47.3% | 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 percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education in Lesotho was 42.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 89.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.6% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education?
- Lesotho ranks 20th out of 184 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.7%. 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 Percentage of pupils enrolled in lower secondary general education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release