Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho

Lesotho: Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes was 33.9% in 2016. ▼ Falling

Latest (2016)
33.9%
Change on year
up 4.9%
World rank
40th
of 147 countries
All-time high
73.4%
in 1971
All-time low
30.0%
in 2012
Years of data
36
1971–2016

Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, 1971–2016

0204060801971199320161971: 73.4 %1973: 69.9 %1977: 72.7 %1978: 59.2 %1979: 57.4 %1980: 51.5 %1981: 46.6 %1982: 46 %1983: 49.4 %1984: 46.6 %1985: 46.8 %1986: 44.4 %1991: 47 %1992: 50 %1993: 52.2 %1994: 49.6 %1996: 45.6 %1998: 42.1 %1999: 37.7 %2000: 50.6 %2001: 48.1 %2002: 47 %2003: 43.5 %2004: 36.7 %2005: 36.7 %2006: 35.6 %2007: 37.7 %2008: 37 %2009: 36.1 %2010: 31.2 %2011: 30.1 %2012: 30 %2013: 32.3 %2014: 33.2 %2015: 32.3 %2016: 33.9 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2016, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho stood at 33.9%.

That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho peaked at 73.4% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 30.0%, in 2012.

Lesotho ranks 40th of 147 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 rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%) in Lesotho, 1971 to 2016.
Year % Change
1971 73.4%
1973 69.9% -4.7%
1977 72.7% +4.0%
1978 59.2% -18.6%
1979 57.4% -3.0%
1980 51.5% -10.2%
1981 46.6% -9.5%
1982 46.0% -1.5%
1983 49.4% +7.6%
1984 46.6% -5.8%
1985 46.8% +0.5%
1986 44.4% -5.3%
1991 47.0% +6.0%
1992 50.0% +6.2%
1993 52.2% +4.6%
1994 49.6% -5.1%
1996 45.6% -8.1%
1998 42.1% -7.5%
1999 37.7% -10.5%
2000 50.6% +34.2%
2001 48.1% -4.8%
2002 47.0% -2.3%
2003 43.5% -7.6%
2004 36.7% -15.6%
2005 36.7% +0.1%
2006 35.6% -3.0%
2007 37.7% +5.7%
2008 37.0% -1.9%
2009 36.1% -2.5%
2010 31.2% -13.5%
2011 30.1% -3.4%
2012 30.0% -0.4%
2013 32.3% +7.6%
2014 33.2% +2.7%
2015 32.3% -2.5%
2016 33.9% +4.9%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 66.5% 57.4% 73.4% 5
1980s 47.3% 44.4% 51.5% 7
1990s 46.3% 37.7% 52.2% 7
2000s 40.9% 35.6% 50.6% 10
2010s 31.9% 30.0% 33.9% 7

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 37 Belize 36.2% compare
  2. 38 Nicaragua 35.6% compare
  3. 39 Republic of Moldova 35.3% compare
  4. 41 El Salvador 33.9% compare
  5. 42 Bahamas 32.5% compare
  6. 43 Turks and Caicos Islands 32.0% compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho?
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho was 33.9% in 2016, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 73.4% in 1971.
What is the lowest out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 30.0% in 2012.
How does Lesotho rank for out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes?
Lesotho ranks 40th out of 147 countries with data for 2016.
Is out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. 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 rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/out-of-school-rate-for-youth-of-upper-secondary-school-age-both-sexes-percent/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Out-of-school rate for youth of upper secondary school age, both sexes (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 3,194 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Number of youth of official upper secondary school age who are not enrolled in upper secondary school expressed as a percentage of the population of official upper secondary school age.