Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both was 54,595 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
54,595
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
133rd
of 222 countries
All-time high
57,453
in 1994
All-time low
28,811
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho stood at 54,595.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho peaked at 57,453 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 28,811, in 1970.
Lesotho ranks 133rd of 222 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 28,811 | — |
| 1971 | 29,470 | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 30,254 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 30,997 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 31,809 | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 32,586 | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 33,430 | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 34,302 | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 35,441 | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 36,773 | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 38,174 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 40,091 | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 42,141 | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 44,175 | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 45,827 | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 47,350 | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 48,789 | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 48,720 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 50,043 | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 51,416 | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 52,717 | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 53,630 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 54,553 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 55,412 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 57,453 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 57,216 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 56,626 | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 55,745 | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 54,633 | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 53,263 | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 51,478 | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 50,249 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 49,722 | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 49,587 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 49,251 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 47,331 | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 45,662 | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 45,727 | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 47,341 | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 49,394 | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 49,571 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 48,612 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 48,318 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 48,787 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 50,766 | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 51,620 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 51,727 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 52,034 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 54,626 | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 55,009 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 55,665 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 55,537 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 55,727 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 56,110 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 55,587 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 54,595 | -1.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 54,595 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 257,184, 21% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 54,595 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 414,762, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 32,387 | 28,811 | 36,773 | 10 |
| 1980s | 45,673 | 38,174 | 51,416 | 10 |
| 1990s | 55,125 | 52,717 | 57,453 | 10 |
| 2000s | 48,574 | 45,662 | 51,478 | 10 |
| 2010s | 51,107 | 48,318 | 55,009 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55,537 | 54,595 | 56,110 | 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, both in Lesotho was 54,595 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 57,453 in 1994.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, both recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 28,811 in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, both?
- Lesotho ranks 133rd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, both rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. 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 the official entrance age to primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release