Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 54.62 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
54.62 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
55.43 years
in 1989
All-time low
41.22 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 54.62 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho peaked at 55.43 years in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41.22 years, in 1950.
Lesotho ranks 234th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.22 years | — |
| 1951 | 41.88 years | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 42.55 years | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 43.18 years | +1.5% |
| 1954 | 43.85 years | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 44.48 years | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 45.06 years | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 45.56 years | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 46.01 years | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 46.32 years | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 46.53 years | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 46.63 years | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 46.66 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 46.66 years | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 46.63 years | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 46.63 years | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 46.48 years | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 46.62 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 46.92 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 47.31 years | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 47.75 years | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 48.09 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 48.57 years | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 48.91 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 49.36 years | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 49.85 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 50.22 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 50.73 years | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 51.28 years | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 51.88 years | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 52.54 years | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 53.36 years | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 54.07 years | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 54.53 years | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 55 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 55.18 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 55.23 years | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 55.41 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 55.43 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 55.43 years | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 55.29 years | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 55.09 years | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 54.72 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 54.21 years | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 53.52 years | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 52.83 years | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 51.8 years | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 50.65 years | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 49.12 years | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 47.82 years | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 46.46 years | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 44.88 years | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 43.84 years | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 42.87 years | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 41.86 years | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 41.44 years | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 41.52 years | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 41.39 years | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 42.12 years | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 42.85 years | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 43.85 years | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 44.53 years | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 45.83 years | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 47.15 years | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 48.32 years | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 49.28 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 50.43 years | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 51.39 years | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 52.12 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 52.72 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 52.5 years | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 51.58 years | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 54.08 years | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 54.62 years | +1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.01 years | 41.22 years | 46.32 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.71 years | 46.48 years | 47.31 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.66 years | 47.75 years | 51.88 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.62 years | 52.54 years | 55.43 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.5 years | 47.82 years | 55.29 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.92 years | 41.39 years | 46.46 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.56 years | 43.85 years | 52.72 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.2 years | 51.58 years | 54.62 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 231 Somalia 56.35 years compare
- 232 Central African Republic 55.26 years compare
- 233 South Sudan 54.64 years compare
- 235 Nigeria 54.18 years compare
- 236 Chad 53.2 years 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 60-64, female, annual growth rate -0.6749 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per capita 0.0113 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, annual growth rate 0.0369 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per capita 0.008 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho was 54.62 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 55.43 years in 1989.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.22 years in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- Lesotho ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.