School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, secondary education, both sexes (number) was 254,854 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
254,854
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
138th
of 220 countries
All-time high
263,363
in 2002
All-time low
118,962
in 1971
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho stood at 254,854.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 263,363 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 118,962, in 1971.
That places Lesotho 138th out of 220 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, secondary education, both sexes (number) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 131,297 | — |
| 1971 | 118,962 | -9.4% |
| 1972 | 124,446 | +4.6% |
| 1973 | 129,413 | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 133,901 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 137,805 | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 141,172 | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 143,941 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 146,698 | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 149,585 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 152,693 | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 156,199 | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 160,323 | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 164,703 | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 169,339 | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 174,409 | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 179,946 | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 182,998 | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 186,733 | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 191,498 | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 197,297 | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 203,893 | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 211,263 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 218,820 | +3.6% |
| 1994 | 226,181 | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 233,197 | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 240,074 | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 246,642 | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 251,309 | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 255,270 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 258,411 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 261,822 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 263,363 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 263,090 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 260,862 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 257,003 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 250,134 | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 244,820 | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 239,821 | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 235,406 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 231,963 | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 229,727 | -1.0% |
| 2012 | 227,741 | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 225,897 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 224,582 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 224,642 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 226,571 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 229,953 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 233,173 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 235,795 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 237,286 | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 239,013 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 241,397 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 244,686 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 248,668 | +1.6% |
| 2025 | 254,854 | +2.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 254,854 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.61 million, 16% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 254,854 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.39 million, 11% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 135,722 | 118,962 | 149,585 | 10 |
| 1980s | 171,884 | 152,693 | 191,498 | 10 |
| 1990s | 228,395 | 197,297 | 255,270 | 10 |
| 2000s | 253,473 | 235,406 | 263,363 | 10 |
| 2010s | 229,004 | 224,582 | 235,795 | 10 |
| 2020s | 244,317 | 237,286 | 254,854 | 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, secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 254,854 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 263,363 in 2002.
- What is the lowest school age population, secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 118,962 in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, secondary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 138th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. 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, secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release