10 answers, 3 from Lesotho's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
311,814 pupils were enrolled in registered primary schools in Lesotho in 2023 and 111,800 in registered secondary schools, according to the Education Statistics Report 2023 of the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics.
Primary enrolment fell from 317,332 in 2021. Boys made up 51.0% of primary pupils, while girls made up 57.4% of secondary students. 95.3% of primary pupils attended public schools. The gross enrolment rate in secondary school was 57.5%, while the net rate, which counts only students of the official age, was 50.1%.
90.5% of people aged 15 and over in Lesotho could read and write in 2024, according to the World Bank, which publishes UNESCO Institute for Statistics data.
Earlier values vary widely, from 86.2% in 2018 to 92.4% in 2019, because they come from different household surveys that ask about literacy in different ways. Adult literacy is usually self-reported rather than tested. The Lesotho Bureau of Statistics publishes school statistics in its Education Statistics Report.
23,749 students were enrolled at higher education institutions in Lesotho in the 2019/20 academic year, according to the Education Statistics Report 2023 of the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics. Women made up 62.4% of them.
More than 80% of students were at public institutions, mostly the National University of Lesotho, the Lesotho College of Education and Lerotholi Polytechnic, a pattern the report says has held since 2014/15. Private institutions enrolled less than 20%. The 2019/20 figure is the latest higher education year covered in the 2023 report.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
In 2017, net primary school enrolment in Lesotho was 93.3%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. No year since 2005 has been higher. It is 6th highest of 28 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 85.4%. World rank, highest first: 78th of 134.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts gross secondary school enrolment in Lesotho at 59.4% in 2017. Since 2005 it has ranged from 36.8% (2005) to 59.4% (2015). It is 9th highest of 26 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 44.0%. Of 134 countries with 2017 data, 112th highest.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, gross tertiary enrolment in Lesotho was 9.9% in 2018. The peak was 10.9% in 2012 and the low 3.4% in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 10.8%, and Lesotho placed 11th highest of 20. Of 127 countries with 2018 data, 117th highest.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2024, is 90.4%. That compares with 97.3% in 2016. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 77.0%, and Lesotho placed 2nd highest of 7.
In 2024, government spending on education in Lesotho was 6.6% of GDP, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 3rd highest of 11 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 4.6% of GDP. Of 36 countries with 2024 data, 6th highest.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2017, is 33. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 42; its low point was 2013, at 33. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 39; Lesotho is 18th highest of 27. Of 130 countries with 2017 data, 22nd highest.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the primary completion rate in Lesotho at 67.0% in 2023. Its high point since 2005 was 2018, at 92.3%; its low point was 2005, at 64.4%. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 74.0%, and Lesotho placed 16th highest of 24. Worldwide: 121st of 131.
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error