School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, early childhood education, both sexes was 158,445 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 158,445 for school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 168,386 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 144,232, in 2005.
That places Lesotho 140th out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 160,792 | — |
| 1999 | 157,566 | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 156,034 | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 155,416 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 153,412 | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 149,846 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 145,878 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 144,232 | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 144,873 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 147,816 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 149,060 | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 147,946 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 147,140 | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 149,298 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 152,611 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 155,557 | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 156,820 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 159,832 | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 163,095 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 166,731 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 167,580 | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 168,168 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 168,386 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 168,364 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 167,180 | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 164,534 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 161,505 | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 158,445 | -1.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 159,179 | 157,566 | 160,792 | 2 |
| 2000s | 149,451 | 144,232 | 156,034 | 10 |
| 2010s | 158,683 | 147,140 | 168,168 | 10 |
| 2020s | 164,736 | 158,445 | 168,386 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 137 Lithuania 177,287 compare
- 138 Botswana 175,957 compare
- 139 Guinea-Bissau 175,336 compare
- 141 Bosnia and Herzegovina 152,280 compare
- 142 Hong Kong, China 127,500 compare
- 143 Puerto Rico 117,286 compare
More education data for Lesotho
- 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)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 309,480 (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -0.8093 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), per capita 0.1324 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 150,993 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, early childhood education, both sexes in Lesotho was 158,445 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 168,386 in 2020.
- What is the lowest school age population, early childhood education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 144,232 in 2005.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, early childhood education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 140th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, early childhood education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. 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 School age population, early childhood education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release