School age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho

Lesotho: School age population, one year before than official primary entry was 46,883 number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
46,883 number
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
137th
of 202 countries
All-time high
54,849 number
in 1993
All-time low
32,119 number
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho, 1970–2020

020.0k40.0k60.0k197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

The most recent figure for school age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho is 46,883 number, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho peaked at 54,849 number in 1993 and was at its lowest, 32,119 number, in 1970.

That places Lesotho 137th out of 202 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number) in Lesotho, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 32,119 number —
1971 33,063 number +2.9%
1972 34,066 number +3.0%
1973 35,096 number +3.0%
1974 36,118 number +2.9%
1975 37,081 number +2.7%
1976 38,347 number +3.4%
1977 39,691 number +3.5%
1978 41,039 number +3.4%
1979 42,298 number +3.1%
1980 43,375 number +2.5%
1981 44,789 number +3.3%
1982 46,146 number +3.0%
1983 47,401 number +2.7%
1984 48,518 number +2.4%
1985 49,458 number +1.9%
1986 50,688 number +2.5%
1987 51,812 number +2.2%
1988 52,783 number +1.9%
1989 53,557 number +1.5%
1990 54,078 number +1.0%
1991 54,508 number +0.8%
1992 54,766 number +0.5%
1993 54,849 number +0.2%
1994 54,769 number -0.1%
1995 54,565 number -0.4%
1996 54,684 number +0.2%
1997 54,655 number -0.1%
1998 54,447 number -0.4%
1999 54,043 number -0.7%
2000 53,486 number -1.0%
2001 52,581 number -1.7%
2002 51,451 number -2.1%
2003 50,221 number -2.4%
2004 49,034 number -2.4%
2005 47,980 number -2.1%
2006 47,728 number -0.5%
2007 47,714 number -0.0%
2008 47,744 number +0.1%
2009 47,565 number -0.4%
2010 46,894 number -1.4%
2011 46,852 number -0.1%
2012 46,529 number -0.7%
2013 45,954 number -1.2%
2014 45,198 number -1.6%
2015 44,377 number -1.8%
2016 44,777 number +0.9%
2017 45,427 number +1.5%
2018 46,151 number +1.6%
2019 46,724 number +1.2%
2020 46,883 number +0.3%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 46,883 number is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 245,129 number, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 46,883 number is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 370,031 number, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 36,892 number 32,119 number 42,298 number 10
1980s 48,853 number 43,375 number 53,557 number 10
1990s 54,536 number 54,043 number 54,849 number 10
2000s 49,550 number 47,565 number 53,486 number 10
2010s 45,888 number 44,377 number 46,894 number 10
2020s 46,883 number 46,883 number 46,883 number 1

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 134 Botswana 54,555 number compare
  2. 135 Uruguay 47,657 number compare
  3. 136 Jamaica 47,347 number compare
  4. 138 Puerto Rico 46,018 number compare
  5. 139 Armenia 43,101 number compare
  6. 140 Croatia 40,594 number compare

See the full ranking of 247 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho?
School age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho was 46,883 number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, one year before than official primary entry recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 54,849 number in 1993.
What is the lowest school age population, one year before than official primary entry recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 32,119 number in 1970.
How does Lesotho rank for school age population, one year before than official primary entry?
Lesotho ranks 137th out of 202 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, one year before than official primary entry rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, one year before than official primary entry in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-one-year-before-than-official-primary-entry-age-both-sexes-number/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, one year before than official primary entry age, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
247 places, 12,237 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to one year before the official primary entry age as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration. For more information, consult the UNESCO Institute of Statistics website: http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/