Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 67.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
67.8%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
195th
of 209 countries
All-time high
86.0%
in 2006
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
84
1820–2024
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho, 1820–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho stood at 67.8%.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho peaked at 86.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.
That places Lesotho 195th out of 209 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 0.0% | — |
| 1825 | 0.0% | — |
| 1830 | 0.0% | — |
| 1835 | 0.1% | +166.7% |
| 1840 | 0.1% | +87.5% |
| 1845 | 0.3% | +86.7% |
| 1850 | 0.5% | +64.3% |
| 1855 | 0.8% | +63.0% |
| 1860 | 1.2% | +56.0% |
| 1865 | 1.8% | +53.8% |
| 1870 | 2.7% | +50.6% |
| 1875 | 4.0% | +48.0% |
| 1880 | 5.8% | +45.6% |
| 1885 | 8.4% | +43.3% |
| 1890 | 11.8% | +41.0% |
| 1895 | 14.2% | +20.3% |
| 1900 | 16.6% | +16.9% |
| 1905 | 14.6% | -12.3% |
| 1910 | 12.5% | -14.1% |
| 1915 | 18.2% | +46.0% |
| 1920 | 24.0% | +31.5% |
| 1925 | 25.4% | +5.6% |
| 1930 | 26.7% | +5.3% |
| 1935 | 38.5% | +44.4% |
| 1940 | 50.4% | +30.7% |
| 1945 | 54.7% | +8.5% |
| 1950 | 59.0% | +7.9% |
| 1955 | 63.0% | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 60.0% | -4.7% |
| 1965 | 68.0% | +13.3% |
| 1970 | 60.8% | -10.5% |
| 1971 | 56.8% | -6.6% |
| 1972 | 57.6% | +1.4% |
| 1973 | 58.3% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 66.6% | +14.3% |
| 1975 | 66.0% | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 67.9% | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 69.4% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 63.0% | -9.3% |
| 1979 | 64.2% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 64.2% | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 64.1% | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 67.7% | +5.8% |
| 1983 | 66.5% | -1.9% |
| 1984 | 66.5% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 67.8% | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 66.7% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 70.3% | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 70.7% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 69.3% | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 67.5% | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 68.2% | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 67.8% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 64.9% | -4.2% |
| 1994 | 65.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 63.1% | -2.9% |
| 1996 | 63.0% | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 56.4% | -10.4% |
| 1999 | 54.0% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 74.5% | +38.0% |
| 2001 | 76.8% | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 79.6% | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 82.0% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 81.8% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 83.3% | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 86.0% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 84.0% | -2.3% |
| 2008 | 84.8% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 84.1% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 84.8% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 85.1% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 85.2% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 85.4% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 84.1% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 83.3% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 83.8% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 85.2% | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 79.8% | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 77.1% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 75.7% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 69.7% | -8.0% |
| 2022 | 70.6% | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 69.3% | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 67.8% | -2.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 67.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 93.7%, 72% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 67.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 80% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1835 | +166.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1840 | +87.5% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| 1845 | +86.7% | 0.1% | 0.3% |
| 1850 | +64.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 1855 | +63.0% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| 1860 | +56.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1830s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 2 |
| 1840s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.3% | 2 |
| 1850s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% | 2 |
| 1860s | 1.5% | 1.2% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 1870s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 4.0% | 2 |
| 1880s | 7.1% | 5.8% | 8.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 13.0% | 11.8% | 14.2% | 2 |
| 1900s | 15.6% | 14.6% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 1910s | 15.4% | 12.5% | 18.2% | 2 |
| 1920s | 24.7% | 24.0% | 25.4% | 2 |
| 1930s | 32.6% | 26.7% | 38.5% | 2 |
| 1940s | 52.5% | 50.4% | 54.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 61.0% | 59.0% | 63.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 64.0% | 60.0% | 68.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 63.1% | 56.8% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.4% | 64.1% | 70.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.3% | 54.0% | 68.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 81.7% | 74.5% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.4% | 77.1% | 85.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.6% | 67.8% | 75.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 192 Solomon Islands 69.9% compare
- 193 Guinea-Bissau 69.5% compare
- 194 Yemen 69.4% compare
- 196 Mali 66.0% compare
- 197 Burkina Faso 65.7% compare
- 198 Angola 63.2% compare
More education data for Lesotho
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 68.25 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 67.83 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Lesotho was 67.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 86.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Lesotho ranks 195th out of 209 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.