School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho
Lesotho: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes was 10.44 years in 2017. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho is 10.44 years, measured in 2017.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 11.09 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.76 years, in 1972.
That places Lesotho 152nd out of 213 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.46 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.76 years | -9.4% |
| 1972 | 6.76 years | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 7.2 years | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 7.79 years | +8.2% |
| 1976 | 7.82 years | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 7.86 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 7.93 years | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 8.07 years | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 8.22 years | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 8.49 years | +3.3% |
| 1982 | 8.78 years | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 8.95 years | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 8.93 years | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 9.08 years | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 8.95 years | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 9.25 years | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 9.38 years | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 9.22 years | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 9.03 years | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 9.08 years | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 8.92 years | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 8.58 years | -3.8% |
| 1994 | 8.83 years | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 8.83 years | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 8.69 years | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 8.1 years | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 8.59 years | +6.1% |
| 1999 | 8.47 years | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 9.25 years | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 9.5 years | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 9.73 years | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 10.12 years | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 10.34 years | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 10.53 years | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 10.87 years | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 10.62 years | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 10.74 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 10.84 years | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 11.02 years | +1.7% |
| 2011 | 11.09 years | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 11.09 years | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 10.73 years | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 10.62 years | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 10.5 years | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 10.29 years | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 10.44 years | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.52 years | 6.76 years | 8.07 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 8.92 years | 8.22 years | 9.38 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.71 years | 8.1 years | 9.08 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.25 years | 9.25 years | 10.87 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.72 years | 10.29 years | 11.09 years | 8 |
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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes in Lesotho was 10.44 years in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 11.09 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.76 years in 1972.
- How does Lesotho rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 152nd out of 213 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release