School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Lesotho
Lesotho: School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) was 12.13 years in 2017. ▲ Rising
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Lesotho, 1970–2017
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in years.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 12.13 years for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in 2017.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 12.37 years in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.61 years, in 1971.
Lesotho ranks 118th of 183 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 38 years of available data.
School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years) (both) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7.18 years | — |
| 1971 | 6.61 years | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 6.67 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 7.1 years | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 7.48 years | +5.3% |
| 1976 | 7.62 years | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 7.59 years | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 7.69 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 7.78 years | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 7.91 years | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 8.19 years | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 8.47 years | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 8.68 years | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 8.69 years | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 8.89 years | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 8.85 years | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 8.89 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 9 years | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 8.84 years | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 8.65 years | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 8.79 years | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 8.73 years | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 8.46 years | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 8.76 years | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 8.82 years | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 8.74 years | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 8.51 years | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 9.34 years | +9.7% |
| 2001 | 9.6 years | +2.8% |
| 2002 | 9.87 years | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 10.4 years | +5.3% |
| 2005 | 10.96 years | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 11.28 years | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 12.37 years | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 11.97 years | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 11.92 years | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 11.82 years | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 12.13 years | +2.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 12.13 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.24 years, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 12.13 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.73 years, 1.1× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7.3 years | 6.61 years | 7.78 years | 9 |
| 1980s | 8.64 years | 7.91 years | 9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.68 years | 8.46 years | 8.82 years | 8 |
| 2000s | 10.24 years | 9.34 years | 11.28 years | 6 |
| 2010s | 12.04 years | 11.82 years | 12.37 years | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 to tertiary, both sexes in Lesotho?
- School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes in Lesotho was 12.13 years in 2017, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 12.37 years in 2012.
- What is the lowest school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.61 years in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank for school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes?
- Lesotho ranks 118th out of 183 countries with data for 2017.
- Is school life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of School life expectancy, primary to tertiary, both sexes (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Expected years of schooling is the number of years a child of school entrance age is expected to spend at school, or university, including years spent on repetition. It is the sum of the age-specific enrolment ratios for primary, secondary, post-secondary non-tertiary and tertiary education.