School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) was 158,445 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
158,445
Change on year
down 1.9%
World rank
129th
of 222 countries
All-time high
174,122
in 1993
All-time low
91,127
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho is 158,445, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 174,122 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 91,127, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 129th 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.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 91,127 | — |
| 1971 | 93,466 | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 95,796 | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 98,225 | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 100,822 | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 103,770 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 107,103 | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 110,702 | +3.4% |
| 1978 | 115,175 | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 120,448 | +4.6% |
| 1980 | 126,427 | +5.0% |
| 1981 | 132,163 | +4.5% |
| 1982 | 137,369 | +3.9% |
| 1983 | 141,975 | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 146,189 | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 150,075 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 153,734 | +2.4% |
| 1987 | 156,532 | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 160,137 | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 163,313 | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 166,085 | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 170,012 | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 172,791 | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 174,122 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 172,563 | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 170,556 | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 168,144 | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 164,934 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 160,792 | -2.5% |
| 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% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 158,445 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 870,070, 18% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 158,445 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.14 million, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 103,663 | 91,127 | 120,448 | 10 |
| 1980s | 146,791 | 126,427 | 163,313 | 10 |
| 1990s | 167,756 | 157,566 | 174,122 | 10 |
| 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
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 school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 158,445 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 174,122 in 1993.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 91,127 in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 129th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary 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, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release