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
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.
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
- Duration of pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 34.1% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 80.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10,388 (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 2.66 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 78.6% (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
The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.