Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV in Lesotho

Lesotho: Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV was 260,000 in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
260,000
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
24th
of 152 countries
All-time high
300,000
in 2012
All-time low
19,000
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV in Lesotho, 1990–2024

0100.0k200.0k300.0k1990200720241990: 19.0k1991: 31.0k1992: 48.0k1993: 71.0k1994: 98.0k1995: 130.0k1996: 150.0k1997: 180.0k1998: 200.0k1999: 210.0k2000: 220.0k2001: 230.0k2002: 240.0k2003: 250.0k2004: 250.0k2005: 260.0k2006: 260.0k2007: 270.0k2008: 280.0k2009: 280.0k2010: 290.0k2011: 290.0k2012: 300.0k2013: 300.0k2014: 300.0k2015: 300.0k2016: 300.0k2017: 290.0k2018: 290.0k2019: 290.0k2020: 280.0k2021: 280.0k2022: 270.0k2023: 270.0k2024: 260.0k

Source: UNAIDS estimates.

Analysis

In 2024, adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv in Lesotho stood at 260,000.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.7% on the previous year and down 13.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv in Lesotho peaked at 300,000 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 19,000, in 1990.

Lesotho ranks 24th of 152 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV in Lesotho, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 19,000
1991 31,000 +63.2%
1992 48,000 +54.8%
1993 71,000 +47.9%
1994 98,000 +38.0%
1995 130,000 +32.7%
1996 150,000 +15.4%
1997 180,000 +20.0%
1998 200,000 +11.1%
1999 210,000 +5.0%
2000 220,000 +4.8%
2001 230,000 +4.5%
2002 240,000 +4.3%
2003 250,000 +4.2%
2004 250,000 +0.0%
2005 260,000 +4.0%
2006 260,000 +0.0%
2007 270,000 +3.8%
2008 280,000 +3.7%
2009 280,000 +0.0%
2010 290,000 +3.6%
2011 290,000 +0.0%
2012 300,000 +3.4%
2013 300,000 +0.0%
2014 300,000 +0.0%
2015 300,000 +0.0%
2016 300,000 +0.0%
2017 290,000 -3.3%
2018 290,000 +0.0%
2019 290,000 +0.0%
2020 280,000 -3.4%
2021 280,000 +0.0%
2022 270,000 -3.6%
2023 270,000 +0.0%
2024 260,000 -3.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 113,700 19,000 210,000 10
2000s 254,000 220,000 280,000 10
2010s 295,000 290,000 300,000 10
2020s 272,000 260,000 280,000 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 21 Ghana 330,000 compare
  2. 22 Myanmar 290,000 compare
  3. 23 Viet Nam 270,000 compare
  4. 25 Rwanda 240,000 compare
  5. 26 Colombia 230,000 compare
  6. 27 Eswatini 220,000 compare
  7. 27 Namibia 220,000 compare
  8. 27 Philippines 220,000 compare

See the full ranking of 153 places →

More health data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv in Lesotho?
Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv in Lesotho was 260,000 in 2024, according to UNAIDS estimates.
What is the highest adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 300,000 in 2012.
What is the lowest adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 19,000 in 1990.
How does Lesotho rank for adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv?
Lesotho ranks 24th out of 152 countries with data for 2024.
Is adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with hiv rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from UNAIDS estimates, published as part of Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNAIDS estimates. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/adults-ages-15-and-children-0-14-years-living-with-hiv/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Adults (ages 15+) and children (0-14 years) living with HIV
Source
UNAIDS estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
153 places, 5,302 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Adults and children living with HIV refers to the number of people ages 0-49 (adult ages 15-49 and children ages 0-14) who are infected with HIV.