School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes was 155,482 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
155,482
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
139th
of 220 countries
All-time high
161,642
in 2002
All-time low
75,266
in 1971
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 155,482 for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 161,642 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 75,266, in 1971.
Lesotho ranks 139th of 220 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.
School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 93,260 | — |
| 1971 | 75,266 | -19.3% |
| 1972 | 78,333 | +4.1% |
| 1973 | 81,014 | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 83,328 | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 85,313 | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 87,015 | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 88,216 | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 89,613 | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 91,347 | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 93,674 | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 96,224 | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 98,807 | +2.7% |
| 1983 | 101,539 | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 104,465 | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 107,758 | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 111,473 | +3.4% |
| 1987 | 112,308 | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 114,938 | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 118,423 | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 122,871 | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 127,536 | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 132,166 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 136,602 | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 140,889 | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 145,001 | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 149,010 | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 152,937 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 155,509 | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 157,426 | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 158,681 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 160,826 | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 161,642 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 160,880 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 157,211 | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 153,088 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 148,593 | -2.9% |
| 2007 | 144,934 | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 141,445 | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 138,773 | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 137,839 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 138,016 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 137,181 | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 135,313 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 133,586 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 134,701 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 138,647 | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 142,491 | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 143,787 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 142,762 | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 142,025 | -0.5% |
| 2021 | 144,333 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | 147,774 | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 150,828 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 152,282 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 155,482 | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 85,270 | 75,266 | 93,260 | 10 |
| 1980s | 105,961 | 93,674 | 118,423 | 10 |
| 1990s | 141,995 | 122,871 | 157,426 | 10 |
| 2000s | 152,607 | 138,773 | 161,642 | 10 |
| 2010s | 138,432 | 133,586 | 143,787 | 10 |
| 2020s | 148,787 | 142,025 | 155,482 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 136 Equatorial Guinea 160,939 compare
- 137 Guinea-Bissau 160,452 compare
- 138 Croatia 156,288 compare
- 140 Republic of Moldova 150,835 compare
- 141 Botswana 146,674 compare
- 142 Uruguay 139,275 compare
More education data for Lesotho
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 10,388 (2024)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 3 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 3 (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)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 80.18 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary 80.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, lower secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 155,482 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 161,642 in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 75,266 in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 139th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, lower secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. 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, lower secondary 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