Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho

Lesotho: Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary was 39,570 number in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
39,570 number
Change on year
down 9.5%
World rank
67th
of 149 countries
All-time high
214,144 number
in 1999
All-time low
39,570 number
in 2016
Years of data
36
1971–2016

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho, 1971–2016

50.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k1971199320161971: 119.0k number1973: 118.6k number1977: 119.1k number1978: 126.2k number1979: 128.8k number1980: 134.9k number1981: 136.8k number1982: 129.2k number1983: 131.7k number1984: 140.4k number1985: 133.9k number1986: 142.6k number1991: 156.6k number1992: 159.2k number1993: 174.2k number1994: 171.5k number1996: 177.1k number1998: 209.0k number1999: 214.1k number2000: 139.7k number2001: 124.1k number2002: 108.4k number2003: 88.4k number2004: 82.5k number2005: 68.3k number2006: 58.6k number2007: 66.8k number2008: 58.7k number2009: 54.0k number2010: 44.4k number2011: 42.4k number2012: 43.2k number2013: 40.8k number2014: 44.3k number2015: 43.7k number2016: 39.6k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho is 39,570 number, measured in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

The figure is down 9.5% on the previous year and down 32.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho peaked at 214,144 number in 1999 and was at its lowest, 39,570 number, in 2016.

Lesotho ranks 67th of 149 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

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

Annual values for Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number) in Lesotho, 1971 to 2016.
Year number Change
1971 119,044 number
1973 118,634 number -0.3%
1977 119,079 number +0.4%
1978 126,207 number +6.0%
1979 128,800 number +2.1%
1980 134,941 number +4.8%
1981 136,838 number +1.4%
1982 129,187 number -5.6%
1983 131,711 number +2.0%
1984 140,409 number +6.6%
1985 133,936 number -4.6%
1986 142,599 number +6.5%
1991 156,627 number +9.8%
1992 159,200 number +1.6%
1993 174,242 number +9.4%
1994 171,462 number -1.6%
1996 177,139 number +3.3%
1998 209,010 number +18.0%
1999 214,144 number +2.5%
2000 139,711 number -34.8%
2001 124,121 number -11.2%
2002 108,433 number -12.6%
2003 88,384 number -18.5%
2004 82,477 number -6.7%
2005 68,319 number -17.2%
2006 58,555 number -14.3%
2007 66,849 number +14.2%
2008 58,655 number -12.3%
2009 54,018 number -7.9%
2010 44,435 number -17.7%
2011 42,449 number -4.5%
2012 43,200 number +1.8%
2013 40,822 number -5.5%
2014 44,275 number +8.5%
2015 43,738 number -1.2%
2016 39,570 number -9.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 122,353 number 118,634 number 128,800 number 5
1980s 135,660 number 129,187 number 142,599 number 7
1990s 180,261 number 156,627 number 214,144 number 7
2000s 84,952 number 54,018 number 139,711 number 10
2010s 42,641 number 39,570 number 44,435 number 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 64 Republic of Moldova 44,908 number compare
  2. 65 Libya 44,748 number compare
  3. 66 Cuba 43,978 number compare
  4. 68 Australia 39,079 number compare
  5. 69 Botswana 38,596 number compare
  6. 70 Namibia 36,973 number compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho?
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho was 39,570 number in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 214,144 number in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 39,570 number in 2016.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Lesotho ranks 67th out of 149 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 32.4%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/lesotho/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-both/lesotho/">Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
194 places, 4,726 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of children and adolescents of primary and lower 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/