Country profile

Lesotho

Sub-Saharan Africa Lower middle income2.34M inhabitants

Last updated December 22, 2025

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Composite GEFRI Score

Critically unprepared

Lesotho is critically unprepared for education futures (21st percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

29.76Composite score
Global percentile
21st
Global rank
#140
Regional rank
#15
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
36.74
18th percentileGlobal avg. 56.42
Human Capital
42.30
34th percentileGlobal avg. 46.98
Innovation
19.92
6th percentileGlobal avg. 42.60
Governance
39.87
37th percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
10.00
31st percentileGlobal avg. 50.60

Country profile

Lesotho trails global peers in Infrastructure (37, 18th percentile) and Innovation (20, 6th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

All or most indicators are based on observed data, giving planners a dependable evidence base for decisions. Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Human Capital and Governance present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Lesotho leads most clearly in Human Capital, sitting well above the peer average.

Key insights

  • Falls below many peers at the 21st percentile.
  • Places 140th worldwide.
  • Holds a regional position of 15th within Sub-Saharan Africa .
  • Scores range from Human Capital (42.3) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Leads regional peers most clearly in Human Capital.

Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
671South Africa57.14
682Mauritius56.87
——SeychellesMicrostate55.72
743Botswana55.44
1084Namibia43.86
1115Ghana40.92
1136Cabo Verde39.81
1157Sierra Leone38.84
——Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate38.53
1198Eswatini37.54
1279Senegal35.31
12810Gabon34.39
13011Rwanda33.46
13212Kenya33.01
13613Cote d'Ivoire31.71
13814Gambia, The30.79
14015Lesotho29.76
14116Equatorial Guinea29.48
14217Benin29.14
14318Zambia28.93
14419ZimbabweFCS28.92
14620Tanzania28.51
14721Togo28.14
14822CameroonFCS27.69
15023Mauritania25.98
15124ComorosFCS25.84
15225Angola25.63
15426Congo, Rep.FCS24.72
15527MozambiqueFCS24.40
15628NigeriaFCS24.09
15729EthiopiaFCS24.04
15830Madagascar23.66
15931Malawi23.03
16032MaliFCS23.02
16133Burkina FasoFCS22.80
16234Uganda22.60
16435Guinea22.13
16636Liberia21.10
16737NigerFCS20.37
16838SudanFCS20.10
16939BurundiFCS18.87
17040Guinea-BissauFCS18.69
17141EritreaFCS18.19
17242Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS17.22
17443ChadFCS15.73
17544South SudanFCS15.65
17645Somalia, Fed. Rep.FCS14.75
17746Central African RepublicFCS13.33