Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho
Lesotho: Female and male life expectancy at birth in years was 54.62 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
54.62
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
55.43
in 1989
All-time low
41.22
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 54.62 for female and male life expectancy at birth in years in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho peaked at 55.43 in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41.22, 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.
Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 41.22 | — |
| 1951 | 41.88 | +1.6% |
| 1952 | 42.55 | +1.6% |
| 1953 | 43.18 | +1.5% |
| 1954 | 43.85 | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 44.48 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 45.06 | +1.3% |
| 1957 | 45.56 | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 46.01 | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 46.32 | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 46.53 | +0.4% |
| 1961 | 46.63 | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 46.66 | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 46.66 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 46.63 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | 46.63 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 46.48 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 46.62 | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 46.92 | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 47.31 | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 47.75 | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 48.09 | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 48.57 | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 48.91 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 49.36 | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 49.85 | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 50.22 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 50.73 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 51.28 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 51.88 | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 52.54 | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 53.36 | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 54.07 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 54.53 | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 55 | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 55.18 | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 55.23 | +0.1% |
| 1987 | 55.41 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 55.43 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 55.43 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 55.29 | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 55.09 | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 54.72 | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 54.21 | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 53.52 | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 52.83 | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 51.8 | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 50.65 | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 49.12 | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 47.82 | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 46.46 | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 44.88 | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 43.84 | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 42.87 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 41.86 | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 41.44 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 41.52 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 41.39 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 42.12 | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 42.85 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 43.85 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 44.53 | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 45.83 | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 47.15 | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 48.32 | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 49.28 | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 50.43 | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 51.39 | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 52.12 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 52.72 | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 52.5 | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 51.58 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 54.08 | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 54.62 | +1.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 54.62 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65.33, 84% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 54.62 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.07, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.01 | 41.22 | 46.32 | 10 |
| 1960s | 46.71 | 46.48 | 47.31 | 10 |
| 1970s | 49.66 | 47.75 | 51.88 | 10 |
| 1980s | 54.62 | 52.54 | 55.43 | 10 |
| 1990s | 52.5 | 47.82 | 55.29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.92 | 41.39 | 46.46 | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.56 | 43.85 | 52.72 | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.2 | 51.58 | 54.62 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 231 Somalia 56.35 compare
- 232 Central African Republic 55.26 compare
- 233 South Sudan 54.64 compare
- 235 Nigeria 54.18 compare
- 236 Chad 53.2 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 382 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho?
- Female and male life expectancy at birth in years in Lesotho was 54.62 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 55.43 in 1989.
- What is the lowest female and male life expectancy at birth in years recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.22 in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for female and male life expectancy at birth in years?
- Lesotho ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is female and male life expectancy at birth in years 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Female and male life expectancy at birth in years. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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