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Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Lower-middle income

Lesotho: education in numbers

Pre-primary enrolment is 33.0% (2019), 137th of 176 in the world and 15th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 80.2% (2024), 183rd of 191 in the world and 36th of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 67.0% (2023), 152nd of 168 in the world and 22nd of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Pre-primary enrolment33.0%2019 · world 137/176 · region 15/39Primary enrolment80.2%2024 · world 183/191 · region 36/41Primary completion67.0%2023 · world 152/168 · region 22/36Secondary enrolment59.4%2017
Pre-primary enrolment
LesothoSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
0%20%40%60%80%199520002005201020152020Lesotho33.0%Sub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
LesothoSub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
0%50%100%150%199520002005201020152020Lesotho80.2%Sub-Saharan AfricaLower-middle incomeWorld
12 indicators

Education: Lesotho in detail

Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.

IndicatorLatestWorld rankIn region~2000~2010~202010-year changeRegionIncome groupWorldSince 2000
Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross33.0%2019137/17615/3918.9%36.7%33.0%2019+2.5 ppsince 200528.1%58.5%60.9%
Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross80.2%2024183/19136/41109.0%118.6%87.7%−27.7 ppsince 201497.1%105.4%102.2%
Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group67.0%2023152/16822/3655.0%81.2%73.8%−14.9 ppsince 201368.9%88.0%88.0%
Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross59.4%2017——28.8%54.2%·+17.8 ppsince 200745.9%68.0%77.3%
Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group45.0%2024148/16818/3424.3%44.2%48.3%−3.3 ppsince 201444.4%73.7%77.9%
Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross9.9%2018156/17221/342.1%10.9%20129.9%2018+6.3 ppsince 20069.3%27.4%43.6%
Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age32.2%202410/17810/3825.5%15.2%24.3%+16.2 ppsince 2014—8.3%—
Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+90.4%202483/1416/4186.2%·92.4%2019+24.3 ppsince 200668.7%78.3%87.7%
Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–2496.5%202485/1486/4290.9%88.3%200997.5%2019+4.5 ppsince 201479.0%91.9%93.1%
Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary32.9201732/17326/4047.933.8·−11%since 200737.428.923.4
Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP6.6%202417/1844/4310.1%12.3%20087.3%2018−5.7 ppsince 20083.3%3.4%3.6%
Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure10.4%2024134/17933/4219.1%24.2%200814.1%2018−13.8 ppsince 200815.4%13.6%14.0%
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.

Better than ten years ago

Worse than ten years ago

Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).

neighbours

Lesotho and its neighbours

Countries sharing a land border with Lesotho. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.

IndicatorLesothoSouth Africa
Pre-primary enrolment33.0%201917.5%2020
Primary enrolment80.2%2024101.8%2023
Primary completion67.0%202395.3%2023
Secondary enrolment59.4%2017104.1%2023
Lower secondary completion45.0%202488.3%2023
Tertiary enrolment9.9%201823.5%2023
Out-of-school children32.2%20246.1%2023
Adult literacy90.4%202491.2%2024
Youth literacy96.5%202497.2%2024
South Africa: education
Education in Sub-Saharan Africaall 48 economies rankedEducation: lower-middle-income countries47 economies rankedEducation: world leaderboardstop and bottom countriesLesotho: all key statisticscountry profile