School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in Lesotho
Lesotho: School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) was 11.77 years in 2017. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Lesotho, 1970–2017
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Lesotho is 11.77 years, measured in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 6.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Lesotho peaked at 11.98 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 7.85 years, in 1972.
Lesotho ranks 88th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years) (School) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 8.45 years | — |
| 1972 | 7.85 years | -7.1% |
| 1973 | 8.25 years | +5.1% |
| 1975 | 8.73 years | +5.8% |
| 1976 | 8.84 years | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 8.83 years | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 8.97 years | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 9.07 years | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 9.15 years | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 9.37 years | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 9.56 years | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 9.72 years | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 9.62 years | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 9.79 years | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 9.69 years | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 9.76 years | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 9.83 years | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 9.61 years | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 9.44 years | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 9.53 years | +1.0% |
| 1992 | 9.37 years | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 9.02 years | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 9.28 years | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 9.16 years | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 8.74 years | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 8.95 years | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 8.73 years | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 9.42 years | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 9.62 years | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 9.92 years | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 10.4 years | +4.8% |
| 2004 | 10.66 years | +2.5% |
| 2005 | 10.91 years | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 11.24 years | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 11.07 years | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 11.27 years | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 11.53 years | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 11.81 years | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 11.92 years | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 11.98 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 11.59 years | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 11.53 years | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 11.49 years | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 11.42 years | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 11.77 years | +3.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 11.77 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.67 years, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 11.77 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 years, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.62 years | 7.85 years | 9.07 years | 8 |
| 1980s | 9.61 years | 9.15 years | 9.83 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.14 years | 8.73 years | 9.53 years | 9 |
| 2000s | 10.6 years | 9.42 years | 11.53 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.69 years | 11.42 years | 11.98 years | 8 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 85 South Korea 11.82 years compare
- 86 Uzbekistan 11.81 years compare
- 87 Seychelles 11.8 years compare
- 89 Micronesia (country) 11.77 years compare
- 90 Egypt 11.76 years compare
- 91 Belize 11.74 years compare
More education data for Lesotho
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 68.25 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 67.83 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Lesotho?
- School life expectancy, primary and secondary, female in Lesotho was 11.77 years in 2017, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 11.98 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.85 years in 1972.
- How does Lesotho rank for school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female?
- Lesotho ranks 88th out of 193 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary and secondary, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.4%. 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 life expectancy, primary and secondary, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of years a person of school entrance age can expect to spend within the specified level of education. For a child of a certain age a, the school life expectancy is calculated as the sum of the age specific enrolment rates for the levels of education specified. The part of the enrolment that is not distributed by age is divided by the school-age population for the level of education they are enrolled in, and multiplied by the duration of that level of education. The result is then added to the sum of the age-specific enrolment rates. A relatively high SLE indicates greater probability for children to spend more years in education and higher overall retention within the education system. It must be noted that the expected number of years does not necessarily coincide with the expected number of grades of education completed, because of repetition. Since school life expectancy is an average based on participation in different levels of education, the expected number of years of schooling may be pulled down by the magnitude of children who never go to school. Those children who are in school may benefit from many more years of education than the average.