Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho
Lesotho: Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 was 26.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho, 1998–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 26.8% for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and down 28.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho peaked at 77.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 25.6%, in 2023.
That places Lesotho 19th out of 185 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 76.8% | — |
| 1999 | 77.4% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 61.3% | -20.7% |
| 2001 | 59.5% | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 60.1% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 60.5% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 60.9% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 59.8% | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 57.5% | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 54.0% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 52.8% | -2.2% |
| 2009 | 50.0% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 48.6% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 46.1% | -5.1% |
| 2012 | 43.8% | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 41.0% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 37.8% | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 34.0% | -10.0% |
| 2016 | 32.6% | -4.0% |
| 2017 | 30.3% | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 28.2% | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 27.5% | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 26.6% | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 27.4% | +3.0% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | -3.5% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | +5.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 26.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.3%, 2.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 26.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.6%, 1.2× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 77.1% | 76.8% | 77.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 57.6% | 50.0% | 61.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.0% | 27.5% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.6% | 25.6% | 27.4% | 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 primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho?
- Percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 in Lesotho was 26.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 77.4% in 1999.
- What is the lowest percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.6% in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2?
- Lesotho ranks 19th out of 185 countries with data for 2024.
- Is percentage of pupils enrolled in primary education who are at least 2 rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.9%. 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 primary education who are at least 2 years over-age for their current grade, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release