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 23,628 number in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
23,628 number
Change on year
down 7.8%
World rank
62nd
of 148 countries
All-time high
119,126 number
in 1999
All-time low
23,628 number
in 2016
Years of data
35
1973–2016

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

20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k120.0k1973199420161973: 77.0k number1977: 79.6k number1978: 84.2k number1979: 86.1k number1980: 89.0k number1981: 88.7k number1982: 84.9k number1983: 86.3k number1984: 90.0k number1985: 87.0k number1986: 90.6k number1991: 98.0k number1992: 98.8k number1993: 105.3k number1994: 102.7k number1996: 104.2k number1998: 117.0k number1999: 119.1k number2000: 79.5k number2001: 70.5k number2002: 61.9k number2003: 52.3k number2004: 48.4k number2005: 40.7k number2006: 35.7k number2007: 38.7k number2008: 34.3k number2009: 33.1k number2010: 27.0k number2011: 25.7k number2012: 25.9k number2013: 25.7k number2014: 26.9k number2015: 25.6k number2016: 23.6k number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 23,628 number for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in 2016. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 33.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho peaked at 119,126 number in 1999 and was at its lowest, 23,628 number, in 2016.

Lesotho ranks 62nd of 148 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 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, male (number) in Lesotho, 1973 to 2016.
Year number Change
1973 76,959 number
1977 79,581 number +3.4%
1978 84,203 number +5.8%
1979 86,063 number +2.2%
1980 88,997 number +3.4%
1981 88,706 number -0.3%
1982 84,933 number -4.3%
1983 86,294 number +1.6%
1984 89,970 number +4.3%
1985 87,000 number -3.3%
1986 90,632 number +4.2%
1991 98,043 number +8.2%
1992 98,775 number +0.7%
1993 105,293 number +6.6%
1994 102,699 number -2.5%
1996 104,210 number +1.5%
1998 116,987 number +12.3%
1999 119,126 number +1.8%
2000 79,538 number -33.2%
2001 70,522 number -11.3%
2002 61,944 number -12.2%
2003 52,286 number -15.6%
2004 48,370 number -7.5%
2005 40,704 number -15.8%
2006 35,689 number -12.3%
2007 38,708 number +8.5%
2008 34,289 number -11.4%
2009 33,085 number -3.5%
2010 26,986 number -18.4%
2011 25,673 number -4.9%
2012 25,929 number +1.0%
2013 25,652 number -1.1%
2014 26,852 number +4.7%
2015 25,629 number -4.6%
2016 23,628 number -7.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 81,702 number 76,959 number 86,063 number 4
1980s 88,076 number 84,933 number 90,632 number 7
1990s 106,448 number 98,043 number 119,126 number 7
2000s 49,514 number 33,085 number 79,538 number 10
2010s 25,764 number 23,628 number 26,986 number 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 59 Korea 32,438 number compare
  2. 60 Peru 28,513 number compare
  3. 61 Namibia 24,260 number compare
  4. 63 Botswana 22,911 number compare
  5. 64 Cuba 22,084 number compare
  6. 65 Palestine, State of 21,778 number compare

See the full ranking of 193 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 23,628 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 119,126 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 23,628 number in 2016.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary?
Lesotho ranks 62nd out of 148 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 33.8%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-male/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
193 places, 4,440 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/