Primary education, pupils in Lesotho
Lesotho: Primary education, pupils was 48.9% in 2017. ▼ Falling
Primary education, pupils in Lesotho, 1970–2017
Source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % female.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary education, pupils in Lesotho is 48.9%, measured in 2017.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary education, pupils in Lesotho peaked at 59.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 48.9%, in 2011.
That places Lesotho 59th out of 203 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 59.4% | 58.9% | 59.9% | 9 |
| 1980s | 56.3% | 55.0% | 58.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 53.0% | 51.7% | 54.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 49.8% | 49.4% | 50.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.0% | 48.9% | 49.1% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Lower secondary school starting age 13 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 62.0% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 34.1% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 80.2% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 10,388 (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 78.6% (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, male 81.8% (2024)
- Labor force, total 889,530 (2025)
- Labor force, female 43.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary education, pupils in Lesotho?
- Primary education, pupils in Lesotho was 48.9% in 2017, according to Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest primary education, pupils recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 59.9% in 1970.
- What is the lowest primary education, pupils recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.9% in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for primary education, pupils?
- Lesotho ranks 59th out of 203 countries with data for 2017.
- Is primary education, pupils rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Primary education, pupils (% female). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female pupils as a percentage of total pupils at primary level include enrollments in public and private schools.