Theoretical duration of primary education (years) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Theoretical duration of primary education (years) was 7 years in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
7 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 224 countries
All-time high
7 years
in 1970
All-time low
7 years
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Theoretical duration of primary education in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7 years for theoretical duration of primary education in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, theoretical duration of primary education in Lesotho peaked at 7 years in 1970 and was at its lowest, 7 years, in 1970.
Lesotho ranks 3rd of 224 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
Theoretical duration of primary education (years) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 7 years | — |
| 1971 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 7 years | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 7 years | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 7 years is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 7 years is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6 years, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 7 years | 7 years | 7 years | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 1 Guam 8 years compare
- 1 Ireland 8 years compare
- 3 Anguilla 7 years compare
- 3 Antigua and Barbuda 7 years compare
- 3 Australia 7 years compare
- 3 Botswana 7 years compare
- 3 Dominica 7 years compare
- 3 Denmark 7 years compare
- 3 Falkland Islands 7 years compare
- 3 Grenada 7 years compare
- 3 Iceland 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Kitts and Nevis 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Lucia 7 years compare
- 3 Mozambique 7 years compare
- 3 Montserrat 7 years compare
- 3 Namibia 7 years compare
- 3 Norfolk Island 7 years compare
- 3 Norway 7 years compare
- 3 Eswatini 7 years compare
- 3 Trinidad and Tobago 7 years compare
- 3 Tanzania 7 years compare
- 3 Uganda 7 years compare
- 3 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7 years compare
- 3 British Virgin Islands 7 years compare
- 3 South Africa 7 years compare
- 3 Zambia 7 years compare
- 3 Zimbabwe 7 years compare
More education data for Lesotho
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1324 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is theoretical duration of primary education in Lesotho?
- Theoretical duration of primary education in Lesotho was 7 years in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 7 years in 1970.
- What is the lowest theoretical duration of primary education recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7 years in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for theoretical duration of primary education?
- Lesotho ranks 3rd out of 224 countries with data for 2025.
- Is theoretical duration of primary education rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Theoretical duration of primary education (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release