Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 27,488 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
27,488
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
134th
of 222 countries
All-time high
28,883
in 1994
All-time low
14,442
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Lesotho is 27,488, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Lesotho peaked at 28,883 in 1994 and was at its lowest, 14,442, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 134th out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it 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, male in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 14,442 | — |
| 1971 | 14,773 | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 15,168 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 15,541 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 15,950 | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 16,341 | +2.5% |
| 1976 | 16,768 | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 17,210 | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 17,793 | +3.4% |
| 1979 | 18,472 | +3.8% |
| 1980 | 19,192 | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 20,168 | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 21,206 | +5.1% |
| 1983 | 22,234 | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 23,064 | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 23,833 | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 24,558 | +3.0% |
| 1987 | 24,433 | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 25,075 | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 25,750 | +2.7% |
| 1990 | 26,494 | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 26,953 | +1.7% |
| 1992 | 27,420 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 27,854 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 28,883 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 28,768 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 28,474 | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 28,032 | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 27,460 | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 26,757 | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 25,843 | -3.4% |
| 2001 | 25,222 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 24,957 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 24,887 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 24,707 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 23,736 | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 22,894 | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 22,938 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 23,760 | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 24,798 | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 24,884 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 24,404 | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 24,253 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 24,488 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 25,484 | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 25,912 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 25,969 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 26,125 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 27,433 | +5.0% |
| 2019 | 27,623 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 27,949 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 27,896 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 28,009 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 28,218 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 27,967 | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 27,488 | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 16,246 | 14,442 | 18,472 | 10 |
| 1980s | 22,951 | 19,192 | 25,750 | 10 |
| 1990s | 27,710 | 26,494 | 28,883 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24,374 | 22,894 | 25,843 | 10 |
| 2010s | 25,658 | 24,253 | 27,623 | 10 |
| 2020s | 27,921 | 27,488 | 28,218 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 131 Guinea-Bissau 28,808 compare
- 132 Finland 28,411 compare
- 133 Georgia 27,845 compare
- 135 Botswana 27,228 compare
- 136 Hong Kong, China 24,900 compare
- 137 Equatorial Guinea 24,065 compare
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, male in Lesotho?
- Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in Lesotho was 27,488 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 28,883 in 1994.
- What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 14,442 in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
- Lesotho ranks 134th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. 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, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release