Share of population with no formal education in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population with no formal education was 7.3% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with no formal education in Lesotho, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7.3% for share of population with no formal education in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 31 years on record.
The figure is down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with no formal education in Lesotho peaked at 99.3% in 1870 and was at its lowest, 7.3%, in 2020.
Lesotho ranks 37th of 111 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with no formal education in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 99.3% | — |
| 1875 | 99.0% | -0.3% |
| 1880 | 98.4% | -0.6% |
| 1885 | 97.7% | -0.7% |
| 1890 | 96.6% | -1.1% |
| 1895 | 95.1% | -1.6% |
| 1900 | 93.3% | -1.9% |
| 1905 | 91.3% | -2.1% |
| 1910 | 88.0% | -3.6% |
| 1915 | 85.5% | -2.8% |
| 1920 | 83.0% | -2.9% |
| 1925 | 74.4% | -10.4% |
| 1930 | 68.7% | -7.7% |
| 1935 | 64.7% | -5.8% |
| 1940 | 58.7% | -9.3% |
| 1945 | 51.7% | -11.9% |
| 1950 | 43.7% | -15.5% |
| 1955 | 38.6% | -11.7% |
| 1960 | 33.7% | -12.7% |
| 1965 | 28.3% | -16.0% |
| 1970 | 26.8% | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 25.6% | -4.5% |
| 1980 | 23.3% | -9.0% |
| 1985 | 21.4% | -8.2% |
| 1990 | 19.4% | -9.3% |
| 1995 | 17.1% | -11.9% |
| 2000 | 14.9% | -12.9% |
| 2005 | 9.6% | -35.6% |
| 2010 | 9.5% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | -14.7% |
| 2020 | 7.3% | -9.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 99.2% | 99.0% | 99.3% | 2 |
| 1880s | 98.1% | 97.7% | 98.4% | 2 |
| 1890s | 95.8% | 95.1% | 96.6% | 2 |
| 1900s | 92.3% | 91.3% | 93.3% | 2 |
| 1910s | 86.8% | 85.5% | 88.0% | 2 |
| 1920s | 78.7% | 74.4% | 83.0% | 2 |
| 1930s | 66.7% | 64.7% | 68.7% | 2 |
| 1940s | 55.2% | 51.7% | 58.7% | 2 |
| 1950s | 41.2% | 38.6% | 43.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 31.0% | 28.3% | 33.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 26.2% | 25.6% | 26.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 22.4% | 21.4% | 23.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 18.2% | 17.1% | 19.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 12.2% | 9.6% | 14.9% | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.8% | 8.1% | 9.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 7.3% | 7.3% | 7.3% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 58,179 (2017)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 5.72 % change on previous year (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 46,622 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 0 % change on previous year (2020)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 21,586 (2018)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) -4.37 % change on previous year (2018)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 7,735 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,653 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 13,054 (2018)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) -5.95 % change on previous year (2018)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with no formal education in Lesotho?
- Share of population with no formal education in Lesotho was 7.3% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with no formal education recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 99.3% in 1870.
- What is the lowest share of population with no formal education recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.3% in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population with no formal education?
- Lesotho ranks 37th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population with no formal education rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with no formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of adults aged between 15 and 64 years old with no formal education.