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

Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary was 10.8% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
10.8%
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
48th
of 137 countries
All-time high
36.7%
in 1972
All-time low
10.4%
in 2013
Years of data
36
1972–2016

Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, 1972–2016

102030401972199420161972: 36.7 %1973: 34.1 %1977: 30.8 %1978: 28.9 %1979: 28.3 %1980: 28.2 %1981: 27.7 %1982: 25.4 %1983: 25.8 %1984: 26.9 %1985: 25 %1986: 26 %1991: 26.4 %1992: 27.3 %1993: 30.3 %1994: 29.4 %1996: 29.8 %1998: 34.7 %1999: 35.2 %2000: 27.1 %2001: 25.2 %2002: 22.9 %2003: 19.3 %2004: 17.8 %2005: 15.6 %2006: 13.9 %2007: 16.2 %2008: 14.6 %2009: 13.2 %2010: 11.1 %2011: 10.7 %2012: 10.7 %2013: 10.4 %2014: 11.2 %2015: 11.2 %2016: 10.8 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho stood at 10.8%.

That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 22.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho peaked at 36.7% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2013.

That places Lesotho 48th out of 137 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%) in Lesotho, 1972 to 2016.
Year % Change
1972 36.7%
1973 34.1% -7.0%
1977 30.8% -9.8%
1978 28.9% -5.9%
1979 28.3% -2.2%
1980 28.2% -0.4%
1981 27.7% -1.8%
1982 25.4% -8.2%
1983 25.8% +1.7%
1984 26.9% +4.0%
1985 25.0% -7.2%
1986 26.0% +4.4%
1991 26.4% +1.2%
1992 27.3% +3.8%
1993 30.3% +10.7%
1994 29.4% -3.0%
1996 29.8% +1.6%
1998 34.7% +16.2%
1999 35.2% +1.6%
2000 27.1% -23.0%
2001 25.2% -7.3%
2002 22.9% -8.8%
2003 19.3% -16.0%
2004 17.8% -7.8%
2005 15.6% -12.2%
2006 13.9% -10.7%
2007 16.2% +16.4%
2008 14.6% -9.6%
2009 13.2% -9.9%
2010 11.1% -16.1%
2011 10.7% -3.6%
2012 10.7% +0.4%
2013 10.4% -3.2%
2014 11.2% +7.6%
2015 11.2% +0.4%
2016 10.8% -3.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 31.8% 28.3% 36.7% 5
1980s 26.4% 25.0% 28.2% 7
1990s 30.4% 26.4% 35.2% 7
2000s 18.6% 13.2% 27.1% 10
2010s 10.9% 10.4% 11.2% 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 45 Turks and Caicos Islands 12.0% compare
  2. 46 Sao Tome and Principe 11.6% compare
  3. 47 Malaysia 11.6% compare
  4. 49 Namibia 10.7% compare
  5. 50 Nicaragua 10.2% compare
  6. 51 Morocco 10.0% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho?
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho was 10.8% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 36.7% in 1972.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2013.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary?
Lesotho ranks 48th out of 137 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.1%. 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 children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-adolescents-and-youth-of-primary-lower-secondary-and-2/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children, adolescents and youth of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
180 places, 4,050 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

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/