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

Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower was 7.2% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
7.2%
Change on year
down 11.3%
World rank
47th
of 148 countries
All-time high
35.3%
in 1999
All-time low
6.8%
in 2013
Years of data
36
1972–2016

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

102030401972199420161972: 30 %1973: 28.1 %1977: 23.9 %1978: 24.7 %1979: 24.3 %1980: 25.4 %1981: 25.8 %1982: 23 %1983: 22.9 %1984: 24.6 %1985: 22.3 %1986: 23.9 %1991: 23.7 %1992: 24 %1993: 27 %1994: 26.5 %1996: 27.5 %1998: 34.2 %1999: 35.3 %2000: 22.5 %2001: 20.3 %2002: 18 %2003: 14.3 %2004: 13.9 %2005: 11.5 %2006: 9.8 %2007: 12.2 %2008: 10.7 %2009: 9.3 %2010: 7.8 %2011: 7.6 %2012: 7.8 %2013: 6.8 %2014: 7.8 %2015: 8.1 %2016: 7.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 7.2% for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in 2016.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.3% on the previous year and down 26.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho peaked at 35.3% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2013.

That places Lesotho 47th out of 148 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 and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%) in Lesotho, 1972 to 2016.
Year % Change
1972 30.0%
1973 28.1% -6.3%
1977 23.9% -14.8%
1978 24.7% +3.1%
1979 24.3% -1.4%
1980 25.4% +4.3%
1981 25.8% +1.6%
1982 23.0% -10.9%
1983 22.9% -0.5%
1984 24.6% +7.8%
1985 22.3% -9.6%
1986 23.9% +7.3%
1991 23.7% -0.9%
1992 24.0% +1.3%
1993 27.0% +12.4%
1994 26.5% -1.7%
1996 27.5% +3.6%
1998 34.2% +24.3%
1999 35.3% +3.2%
2000 22.5% -36.2%
2001 20.3% -9.7%
2002 18.0% -11.5%
2003 14.3% -20.4%
2004 13.9% -3.0%
2005 11.5% -16.9%
2006 9.8% -15.4%
2007 12.2% +25.1%
2008 10.7% -12.3%
2009 9.3% -13.2%
2010 7.8% -15.8%
2011 7.6% -3.6%
2012 7.8% +2.9%
2013 6.8% -12.3%
2014 7.8% +14.8%
2015 8.1% +4.2%
2016 7.2% -11.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 26.2% 23.9% 30.0% 5
1980s 24.0% 22.3% 25.8% 7
1990s 28.3% 23.7% 35.3% 7
2000s 14.3% 9.3% 22.5% 10
2010s 7.6% 6.8% 8.1% 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 44 Armenia 9.1% compare
  2. 45 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 8.6% compare
  3. 46 Botswana 7.5% compare
  4. 48 Bhutan 6.8% compare
  5. 49 Cambodia 6.7% compare
  6. 50 Malawi 6.7% compare

See the full ranking of 191 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho?
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho was 7.2% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 35.3% in 1999.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2013.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower?
Lesotho ranks 47th out of 148 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.0%. 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 and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-children-and-adolescents-of-primary-and-lower-secondary-school-age-2/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for children and adolescents of primary and lower secondary school age, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
191 places, 4,340 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Proportion of children and adolescents in the official age range for primary and lower secondary education who are not enrolled in primary or lower secondary education. To calculate the indicator, the number of students of the official age for primary and lower secondary education enrolled in primary or lower secondary education is subtracted from the total population of primary and lower secondary education. The result is expressed as a percentage of the population of the official age for primary and lower secondary education. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/