Lesotho — Education spending
Government Education Spending (% of GDP) for Lesotho, 1971–2024.
Education spending for Lesotho was 6.62% in 2024, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 28 years, from 1971 to 2024. The highest recorded value was 13.22% in 2003. The lowest was 4.23% in 1974 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.67% per year.
Lesotho ranks 15 of 172 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 9%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 3.61%, so Lesotho sits above it. It peaked in 2003 and has fallen 50% since. Over the last decade (2015–2024) the figure moved down 13%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 4 of 41 economies; Senegal (6.16%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 138% in 1983. That is 11% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
From its 1971 level: doubled by 1983. Doubling roughly every 103 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 13th of 53 in 1971 → 1st of 116 in 2000 → 6th of 39 in 2024.
Key figures
Full history — 1971 to 2024
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 6.62% | -0.7 pp |
| 2023 | 7.29% | +0.0 pp |
| 2018 | 7.28% | -0.9 pp |
| 2017 | 8.16% | +0.6 pp |
| 2016 | 7.55% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 7.64% | -4.7 pp |
| 2008 | 12.33% | +1.1 pp |
| 2006 | 11.27% | -0.8 pp |
| 2005 | 12.08% | +1.0 pp |
| 2004 | 11.11% | -2.1 pp |
| 2003 | 13.22% | +3.1 pp |
| 2002 | 10.1% | +0.7 pp |
| 2001 | 9.37% | -0.7 pp |
| 2000 | 10.09% | -2.4 pp |
| 1999 | 12.5% | +1.1 pp |
| 1997 | 11.36% | +2.7 pp |
| 1995 | 8.64% | +1.6 pp |
| 1994 | 7.03% | -1.6 pp |
| 1993 | 8.58% | +2.4 pp |
| 1989 | 6.2% | -1.0 pp |
| 1988 | 7.22% | +0.1 pp |
| 1985 | 7.09% | +0.7 pp |
| 1984 | 6.43% | -3.7 pp |
| 1983 | 10.1% | +5.9 pp |
| 1974 | 4.23% | -0.6 pp |
| 1973 | 4.87% | +0.3 pp |
| 1972 | 4.53% | -0.1 pp |
| 1971 | 4.64% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Lesotho’s Education spending in 1972?
4.53% (1972). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of GDP, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Lesotho’s Education spending growing or shrinking?
Between 1971 and 2024 the series was growing overall: +42.7% in total — about 0.7% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2024: 6.62%; 2023: 7.29%; 2018: 7.28%; 2017: 8.16%; 2016: 7.55%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS — Government Education Spending (% of GDP). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.