Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) was 385,939 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Lesotho, 2010–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Lesotho stood at 385,939.
The figure is up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 385,967 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 327,794, in 2010.
Lesotho ranks 132nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number) (school both) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 327,794 | — |
| 2011 | 328,923 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 331,018 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 334,382 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 339,424 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 343,705 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 346,051 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 348,554 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 354,586 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 361,278 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 368,152 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 373,171 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 377,503 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 382,166 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 385,967 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 385,939 | -0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 385,939 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million, 15% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 385,939 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.42 million, 16% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 341,572 | 327,794 | 361,278 | 10 |
| 2020s | 378,816 | 368,152 | 385,967 | 6 |
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 population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Lesotho?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Lesotho was 385,939 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 385,967 in 2024.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 327,794 in 2010.
- How does Lesotho rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 132nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. 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 Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release