Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho
Lesotho: Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex was 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
53.09 deaths per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
10th
of 236 countries
All-time high
168.82 deaths per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
53.09 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people for annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 15.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho peaked at 168.82 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Lesotho 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | deaths per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 168.82 deaths per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 164.67 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1952 | 160.57 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1953 | 156.5 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1954 | 152.42 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1955 | 148.41 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1956 | 144.6 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1957 | 141.26 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 138.65 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1959 | 136.6 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 135.23 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1961 | 134.49 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 134.18 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 134.12 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 134.12 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 134 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 133.59 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 132.77 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 131.51 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 129.83 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 127.77 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 125.37 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 122.68 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 119.68 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 116.37 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 112.74 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1976 | 108.81 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 104.64 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1978 | 100.31 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1979 | 95.9 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 1980 | 91.54 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 87.31 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 83.3 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 1983 | 79.57 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 76.16 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1985 | 73.1 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1986 | 70.41 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 68.23 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1988 | 66.27 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 64.91 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 64.25 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 64.01 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 64.61 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 65.9 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 67.78 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 70.07 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1996 | 72.58 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 75.04 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 77.3 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1999 | 79.36 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 80.96 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 82.25 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 83.32 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 84 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 84.29 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 83.89 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 82.56 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2007 | 80.29 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 77.3 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 73.75 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 70.24 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 67.38 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 64.74 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 62.71 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 61.22 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 60.04 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 58.97 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 58.1 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 57.35 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 56.62 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 56.85 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 54.94 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2022 | 54.01 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 151.25 deaths per 1,000 people | 136.6 deaths per 1,000 people | 168.82 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 133.38 deaths per 1,000 people | 129.83 deaths per 1,000 people | 135.23 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 113.43 deaths per 1,000 people | 95.9 deaths per 1,000 people | 127.77 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 76.08 deaths per 1,000 people | 64.91 deaths per 1,000 people | 91.54 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.09 deaths per 1,000 people | 64.01 deaths per 1,000 people | 79.36 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.26 deaths per 1,000 people | 73.75 deaths per 1,000 people | 84.29 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.74 deaths per 1,000 people | 56.62 deaths per 1,000 people | 70.24 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 54.72 deaths per 1,000 people | 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people | 56.85 deaths per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 7 South Sudan 62.14 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 8 Chad 61.55 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 9 Mali 58.73 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 11 Liberia 52.77 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 12 Burkina Faso 50.22 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 13 Equatorial Guinea 49.7 deaths per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,227 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.1593 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1694 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.0688 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1716 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho?
- Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex in Lesotho was 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 168.82 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.09 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex?
- Lesotho ranks 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual death rates in people of different ages, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Death rate, calculated as the number of deaths divided by the average number of people alive during the interval.