Lesotho: School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Lesotho's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.00103 on 2018 (from 0.95 to 0.95).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was −0.00913 and a typical year strayed about 0.01 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.02 in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.04 in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.000795 a year. A straight line explains 33% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2019, Lesotho had the 13th highest value of the 18 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Lesotho in the 2019 ranking

• Antigua and Barbuda — 9th of 18: 0.98
• Kenya — 10th of 18: 0.97
• Gabon — 11th of 18: 0.97
• Cabo Verde — 13th of 18: 0.94
• Eswatini — 14th of 18: 0.92
• Cameroon — 15th of 18: 0.9

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary level in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 49 values

School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.94 (2018)
• Benin — 0.93 (2021)
• Botswana — 0.98 (2021)
• Burkina Faso — 1.02 (2021)
• Burundi — 1.01 (2020)
• Cabo Verde — 0.94 (2019)
• Cameroon — 0.9 (2019)
• Central African Republic — 0.77 (2017)
• Chad — 0.8 (2021)

More education data for Lesotho

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 13 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 5 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 309,480 (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 80.18% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 78.6% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 81.75% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 10,388 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female) — 74.46% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lesotho's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

0.95 in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is down 35.76% from 1.48 in 1970 (0.9% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.48 in 1970 and the lowest 0.95 in 2017.

How does Lesotho rank?

13th highest of 18 economies with data for 2019.

Is the latest change in school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2019, Lesotho's school enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.00103 on 2018 (from 0.95 to 0.95). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was −0.00913 and a typical year strayed about 0.01 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.PRIM.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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