Child mortality rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Child mortality rate was 7.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Child mortality rate in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 7.2% for child mortality rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 15.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Lesotho peaked at 24.6% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 13th 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.5% | 19.1% | 24.6% | 10 |
| 1960s | 18.5% | 17.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.5% | 13.0% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.2% | 8.7% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.5% | 8.6% | 10.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.0% | 10.0% | 11.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.3% | 7.7% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.4% | 7.2% | 7.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 10 Benin 7.9% compare
- 11 Burkina Faso 7.7% compare
- 12 Democratic Republic of Congo 7.3% compare
- 14 Liberia 7.1% compare
- 15 Equatorial Guinea 7.1% compare
- 16 Guinea-Bissau 6.9% compare
More health data for Lesotho
- 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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 20,203 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 20,491 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 20,958 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 21,166 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 22,125 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 22,257 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality rate in Lesotho?
- Child mortality rate in Lesotho was 7.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 24.6% in 1950.
- What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for child mortality rate?
- Lesotho ranks 13th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The share of children who die before reaching the age of 5.