Pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho
Lesotho: Pupils per qualified teacher in primary education was 31.14 pupils per teacher in 2023. ▼ Falling
Pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho, 2013–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in pupils per teacher.
Analysis
In 2023, pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho stood at 31.14 pupils per teacher. That is the lowest value across all 10 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.2% on the previous year and down 31.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho peaked at 45.29 pupils per teacher in 2013 and was at its lowest, 31.14 pupils per teacher, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 33rd of 113 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 10 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 39.42 pupils per teacher | 32.35 pupils per teacher | 45.29 pupils per teacher | 6 |
| 2020s | 31.72 pupils per teacher | 31.14 pupils per teacher | 32.52 pupils per teacher | 4 |
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 pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho?
- Pupils per qualified teacher in primary education in Lesotho was 31.14 pupils per teacher in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest pupils per qualified teacher in primary education recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 45.29 pupils per teacher in 2013.
- What is the lowest pupils per qualified teacher in primary education recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.14 pupils per teacher in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for pupils per qualified teacher in primary education?
- Lesotho ranks 33rd out of 113 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pupils per qualified teacher in primary education rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.3%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Pupils per qualified teacher in primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
A qualified teacher is one who has the minimum academic qualifications necessary to teach at a primary level of education in a given country.