School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) was 385,939 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
385,939
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
124th
of 222 countries
All-time high
388,887
in 1997
All-time low
194,746
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 385,939 for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2025.
The figure is up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 388,887 in 1997 and was at its lowest, 194,746, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 124th 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, primary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 194,746 | — |
| 1971 | 199,001 | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 203,148 | +2.1% |
| 1973 | 207,249 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 211,487 | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 215,915 | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 220,685 | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 225,171 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 230,960 | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 237,790 | +3.0% |
| 1980 | 245,636 | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 254,633 | +3.7% |
| 1982 | 264,726 | +4.0% |
| 1983 | 275,866 | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 287,518 | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 299,356 | +4.1% |
| 1986 | 311,303 | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 308,882 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 319,190 | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 329,341 | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 339,136 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 348,340 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 356,973 | +2.5% |
| 1993 | 364,988 | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 373,677 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 380,793 | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 385,921 | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 388,887 | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 386,993 | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 383,112 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 376,912 | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 367,822 | -2.4% |
| 2002 | 358,832 | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 350,662 | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 343,401 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 335,306 | -2.4% |
| 2006 | 326,871 | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 323,268 | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 323,262 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 325,550 | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 327,794 | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 328,923 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 331,018 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 334,382 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 339,424 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 343,705 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 346,051 | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 348,554 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 354,586 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 361,278 | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 368,152 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 373,171 | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 377,503 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 382,166 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 385,967 | +1.0% |
| 2025 | 385,939 | -0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 385,939 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.47 million, 26% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 385,939 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.37 million, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 214,615 | 194,746 | 237,790 | 10 |
| 1980s | 289,645 | 245,636 | 329,341 | 10 |
| 1990s | 370,882 | 339,136 | 388,887 | 10 |
| 2000s | 343,189 | 323,262 | 376,912 | 10 |
| 2010s | 341,572 | 327,794 | 361,278 | 10 |
| 2020s | 378,816 | 368,152 | 385,967 | 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, primary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, primary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 385,939 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 388,887 in 1997.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 194,746 in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 124th out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. 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, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release