School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes was 158,445 in 2025. ▲ Rising
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.
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
- 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, 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.
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