Annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho
Lesotho: Annual death rates at different ages was 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
59.12 deaths per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
10th
of 236 countries
All-time high
183.08 deaths per 1,000 people
in 1950
All-time low
59.12 deaths per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Annual death rates at different ages 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
In 2023, annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho stood at 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho peaked at 183.08 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950 and was at its lowest, 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 10th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | deaths per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 183.08 deaths per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 178.33 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1952 | 173.79 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1953 | 169.28 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1954 | 164.79 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1955 | 160.42 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1956 | 156.27 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1957 | 152.64 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1958 | 149.62 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1959 | 147.33 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1960 | 145.75 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1961 | 144.86 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 144.44 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 144.31 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 144.25 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 144.06 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 143.57 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 142.65 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 141.28 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1969 | 139.45 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 137.24 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 134.68 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1972 | 131.82 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1973 | 128.64 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1974 | 125.16 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1975 | 121.35 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 117.25 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 112.9 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1978 | 108.39 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1979 | 103.83 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 99.31 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1981 | 94.95 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 1982 | 90.84 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 1983 | 87.02 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1984 | 83.55 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1985 | 80.43 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 77.69 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1987 | 75.47 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 73.51 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 72.15 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 71.52 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 71.32 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 71.96 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 73.29 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1994 | 75.21 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 77.57 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 80.14 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 82.68 deaths per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 85.02 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 87.18 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 88.89 deaths per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2001 | 90.3 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 91.5 deaths per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 92.3 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 92.68 deaths per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 92.33 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 90.95 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 88.52 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 85.28 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2009 | 81.43 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2010 | 77.62 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 74.53 deaths per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 71.76 deaths per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 69.65 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 68.11 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 66.92 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 65.83 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 64.89 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 64.05 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 63.22 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 62.82 deaths per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 61.26 deaths per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 60.18 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 30.44 deaths per 1,000 people, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.59 deaths per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 163.55 deaths per 1,000 people | 147.33 deaths per 1,000 people | 183.08 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 143.46 deaths per 1,000 people | 139.45 deaths per 1,000 people | 145.75 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 122.13 deaths per 1,000 people | 103.83 deaths per 1,000 people | 137.24 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.49 deaths per 1,000 people | 72.15 deaths per 1,000 people | 99.31 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 77.59 deaths per 1,000 people | 71.32 deaths per 1,000 people | 87.18 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 89.42 deaths per 1,000 people | 81.43 deaths per 1,000 people | 92.68 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 68.66 deaths per 1,000 people | 63.22 deaths per 1,000 people | 77.62 deaths per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 60.85 deaths per 1,000 people | 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people | 62.82 deaths per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 7 Chad 67.58 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 8 South Sudan 67.13 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 9 Mali 63.81 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 11 Liberia 58.48 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 12 Equatorial Guinea 55.2 deaths per 1,000 people compare
- 13 Burkina Faso 54.63 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho?
- Annual death rates at different ages in Lesotho was 59.12 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 at different ages recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 183.08 deaths per 1,000 people in 1950.
- What is the lowest annual death rates at different ages recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.12 deaths per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for annual death rates at different ages?
- Lesotho ranks 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual death rates at different ages rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. 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 at different ages. 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.