Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho

Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper was 19.6% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
19.6%
Change on year
up 13.7%
World rank
41st
of 138 countries
All-time high
44.0%
in 1977
All-time low
11.9%
in 2011
Years of data
36
1972–2016

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, 1972–2016

102030401972199420161972: 43.8 %1973: 36.5 %1977: 44 %1978: 26 %1979: 26.4 %1980: 24.9 %1981: 22.4 %1982: 22.6 %1983: 22 %1984: 25.9 %1985: 23.8 %1986: 25.2 %1991: 25.4 %1992: 27.6 %1993: 30.8 %1994: 29.2 %1996: 28.3 %1998: 28.5 %1999: 25.1 %2000: 33.7 %2001: 31.4 %2002: 29.3 %2003: 24.3 %2004: 20.6 %2005: 18 %2006: 17 %2007: 19.5 %2008: 18.4 %2009: 16.1 %2010: 13 %2011: 11.9 %2012: 12.6 %2013: 13.6 %2014: 15.6 %2015: 17.2 %2016: 19.6 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho stood at 19.6%.

That represents a change of up 13.7% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho peaked at 44.0% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 11.9%, in 2011.

That places Lesotho 41st out of 138 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%) in Lesotho, 1972 to 2016.
Year % Change
1972 43.8%
1973 36.5% -16.5%
1977 44.0% +20.4%
1978 26.0% -40.9%
1979 26.4% +1.6%
1980 24.9% -5.6%
1981 22.4% -10.0%
1982 22.6% +0.8%
1983 22.0% -2.8%
1984 25.9% +17.8%
1985 23.8% -8.2%
1986 25.2% +5.8%
1991 25.4% +0.6%
1992 27.6% +8.6%
1993 30.8% +11.9%
1994 29.2% -5.4%
1996 28.3% -3.0%
1998 28.5% +0.9%
1999 25.1% -12.1%
2000 33.7% +34.3%
2001 31.4% -6.9%
2002 29.3% -6.6%
2003 24.3% -17.1%
2004 20.6% -14.9%
2005 18.0% -13.0%
2006 17.0% -5.5%
2007 19.5% +15.0%
2008 18.4% -5.8%
2009 16.1% -12.3%
2010 13.0% -19.1%
2011 11.9% -8.6%
2012 12.6% +5.8%
2013 13.6% +7.8%
2014 15.6% +14.6%
2015 17.2% +10.6%
2016 19.6% +13.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 35.3% 26.0% 44.0% 5
1980s 23.9% 22.0% 25.9% 7
1990s 27.8% 25.1% 30.8% 7
2000s 22.8% 16.1% 33.7% 10
2010s 14.8% 11.9% 19.6% 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 38 Suriname 20.6% compare
  2. 39 Tajikistan 20.1% compare
  3. 40 Nicaragua 19.7% compare
  4. 42 Jamaica 19.1% compare
  5. 43 Belize 19.0% compare
  6. 44 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 18.7% 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho?
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho was 19.6% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 44.0% in 1977.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 11.9% in 2011.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper?
Lesotho ranks 41st out of 138 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. 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 rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-adolescents-and-youth-of-lower-and-upper-secondary-school-age/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for adolescents and youth of lower and upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
181 places, 4,097 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of adolescents and youth of 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/