Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho
Lesotho: Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index was 1.39 index in 2025. ▲ Rising
Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in index.
Analysis
The most recent figure for lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho is 1.39 index, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho peaked at 1.43 index in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.3 index, in 2000.
That places Lesotho 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | index | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 1.31 index | — |
| 1982 | 1.32 index | +0.8% |
| 1983 | 1.32 index | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 1.33 index | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 1.33 index | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.33 index | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 1.32 index | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 1.33 index | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 1.32 index | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 1.32 index | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 1.32 index | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.31 index | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 1.31 index | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 1.31 index | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 1.31 index | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.31 index | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.32 index | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 1.31 index | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.3 index | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 1.3 index | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 1.31 index | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 1.32 index | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.33 index | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.34 index | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 1.36 index | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.36 index | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.36 index | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.35 index | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 1.35 index | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 index | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 1.37 index | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.39 index | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 1.4 index | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.41 index | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 1.42 index | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 1.42 index | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 1.42 index | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 1.43 index | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.43 index | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.43 index | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 1.42 index | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 1.42 index | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 1.4 index | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 1.4 index | -0.6% |
| 2025 | 1.39 index | -0.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.39 index is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.09 index, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.39 index is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.05 index, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.32 index | 1.31 index | 1.33 index | 9 |
| 1990s | 1.31 index | 1.3 index | 1.32 index | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.34 index | 1.3 index | 1.36 index | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.41 index | 1.36 index | 1.43 index | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.41 index | 1.39 index | 1.43 index | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More gender data for Lesotho
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 786.22 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5717 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1,708 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1,708 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 26,291 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 26,787 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 25,880 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 26,319 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 25,717 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho?
- Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index in Lesotho was 1.39 index in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.43 index in 2019.
- What is the lowest lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.3 index in 2000.
- How does Lesotho rank for lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index?
- Lesotho ranks 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Lower secondary school completion rates, adjusted gender parity index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
An adjusted gender parity index of 1 indicates equal lower secondary school completion rates between boys and girls. Values below 1 favor boys, and values above 1 favor girls.