How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?

9 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2015.

Where does this data come from?

UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Lesotho vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary

Lesotho

15.3%

in 2016

South Africa

14.7%

in 2018

Lesotho rank

33rd

South Africa rank

36th

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary over time

Lesotho
South Africa

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 15.3% against 14.7% in South Africa, a difference of 0.6%.

Across all 9 years both countries report, Lesotho has been ahead every year.

Lesotho ranks 33rd and South Africa ranks 36th of 136 countries.

Lesotho has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Lesotho	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1990s	42.5%	15.0%	27.5%	Lesotho
2000s	26.3%	14.5%	11.8%	Lesotho
2010s	15.9%	7.7%	8.2%	Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, Lesotho or South Africa?: Lesotho, at 15.3% against 14.7% in South Africa as of 2016.
What is the difference in out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary between Lesotho and South Africa?: 0.6%, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?: 9 years are reported by both, from 1994 to 2015.
How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?: Lesotho ranks 33rd and South Africa ranks 36th of 136 countries.
Where does this data come from?: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Lesotho vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-4/lesotho/south-africa/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/compare/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-4/lesotho/south-africa/">Lesotho vs South Africa: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, male (%)
Unit: %
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 179 places, 4,045 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed: 04 September 2026

Proportion of children, adolescents, and youth in the official age range for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education who are not enrolled in primary, lower secondary, or upper secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education enrolled in primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/