School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes was 99,372 in 2025. ▲ Rising
School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho stood at 99,372.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 10.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 103,915 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 38,037, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 140th 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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 38,037 | — |
| 1971 | 43,696 | +14.9% |
| 1972 | 46,113 | +5.5% |
| 1973 | 48,399 | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 50,573 | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 52,492 | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 54,157 | +3.2% |
| 1977 | 55,725 | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 57,085 | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 58,238 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 59,019 | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 59,975 | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 61,516 | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 63,164 | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 64,874 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 66,651 | +2.7% |
| 1986 | 68,473 | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 70,690 | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 71,795 | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 73,075 | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 74,426 | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 76,357 | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 79,097 | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 82,218 | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 85,292 | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 88,196 | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 91,064 | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 93,705 | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 95,800 | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 97,844 | +2.1% |
| 2000 | 99,730 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 100,996 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 101,721 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 102,210 | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 103,651 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 103,915 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 101,541 | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 99,886 | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 98,376 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 96,633 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 94,124 | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 91,711 | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 90,560 | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 90,584 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 90,996 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 89,941 | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 87,924 | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 87,462 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 89,386 | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 93,033 | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 95,261 | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 94,680 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 93,623 | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 93,858 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 96,386 | +2.7% |
| 2025 | 99,372 | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 50,452 | 38,037 | 58,238 | 10 |
| 1980s | 65,923 | 59,019 | 73,075 | 10 |
| 1990s | 86,400 | 74,426 | 97,844 | 10 |
| 2000s | 100,866 | 96,633 | 103,915 | 10 |
| 2010s | 90,572 | 87,462 | 94,124 | 10 |
| 2020s | 95,530 | 93,623 | 99,372 | 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, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School age population, upper secondary education, both sexes in Lesotho was 99,372 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 103,915 in 2005.
- What is the lowest school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 38,037 in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 140th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, upper secondary education, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.5%. 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, upper secondary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release