Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho

Lesotho: Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and was 40,321 number in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
40,321 number
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
67th
of 136 countries
All-time high
139,988 number
in 1998
All-time low
40,321 number
in 2016
Years of data
35
1973–2016

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho, 1973–2016

40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k120.0k140.0k1973199420161973: 93.6k number1977: 99.1k number1978: 101.6k number1979: 103.6k number1980: 105.8k number1981: 104.6k number1982: 100.5k number1983: 103.3k number1984: 106.8k number1985: 104.4k number1986: 107.5k number1991: 118.8k number1992: 120.5k number1993: 128.7k number1994: 126.3k number1996: 126.7k number1998: 140.0k number1999: 139.3k number2000: 104.9k number2001: 94.1k number2002: 85.3k number2003: 73.9k number2004: 66.6k number2005: 59.5k number2006: 53.6k number2007: 57.5k number2008: 53.0k number2009: 51.4k number2010: 43.1k number2011: 40.7k number2012: 40.8k number2013: 41.1k number2014: 43.1k number2015: 42.0k number2016: 40.3k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 40,321 number for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 4.0% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho peaked at 139,988 number in 1998 and was at its lowest, 40,321 number, in 2016.

Lesotho ranks 67th of 136 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, male (number) in Lesotho, 1973 to 2016.
Year number Change
1973 93,636 number
1977 99,114 number +5.9%
1978 101,574 number +2.5%
1979 103,606 number +2.0%
1980 105,758 number +2.1%
1981 104,622 number -1.1%
1982 100,495 number -3.9%
1983 103,295 number +2.8%
1984 106,839 number +3.4%
1985 104,405 number -2.3%
1986 107,459 number +2.9%
1991 118,768 number +10.5%
1992 120,493 number +1.5%
1993 128,682 number +6.8%
1994 126,284 number -1.9%
1996 126,720 number +0.3%
1998 139,988 number +10.5%
1999 139,296 number -0.5%
2000 104,948 number -24.7%
2001 94,099 number -10.3%
2002 85,263 number -9.4%
2003 73,887 number -13.3%
2004 66,606 number -9.9%
2005 59,537 number -10.6%
2006 53,629 number -9.9%
2007 57,537 number +7.3%
2008 53,013 number -7.9%
2009 51,449 number -3.0%
2010 43,076 number -16.3%
2011 40,698 number -5.5%
2012 40,833 number +0.3%
2013 41,073 number +0.6%
2014 43,131 number +5.0%
2015 42,020 number -2.6%
2016 40,321 number -4.0%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 40,321 number is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 189,268 number, 21% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 40,321 number is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 451,964 number, 9% of the median. (25 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 99,482 number 93,636 number 103,606 number 4
1980s 104,696 number 100,495 number 107,459 number 7
1990s 128,604 number 118,768 number 139,988 number 7
2000s 69,997 number 51,449 number 104,948 number 10
2010s 41,593 number 40,321 number 43,131 number 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 64 Chile 42,410 number compare
  2. 65 Canada 42,055 number compare
  3. 66 Namibia 40,961 number compare
  4. 68 Hungary 39,712 number compare
  5. 69 Mongolia 35,504 number compare
  6. 70 Republic of Moldova 35,165 number compare

See the full ranking of 181 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho?
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho was 40,321 number in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 139,988 number in 1998.
What is the lowest out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 40,321 number in 2016.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and?
Lesotho ranks 67th out of 136 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-and-secondary-school-age-male/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children, adolescents and youth of primary and secondary school age, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
181 places, 4,156 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children, adolescents, and youth of primary, lower secondary, and upper secondary school age who are not enrolled or attending school during in a given academic year. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/