Fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho
Lesotho: Fertility vs child mortality was 2.69 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.69
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
72nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.87
in 1976
All-time low
2.69
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.69 for fertility vs child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho peaked at 5.87 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.69, in 2023.
That places Lesotho 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.7 | — |
| 1951 | 5.72 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 5.73 | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 5.75 | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 5.79 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 5.79 | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 5.79 | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 5.78 | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.78 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 5.76 | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.77 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 5.76 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.75 | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 5.72 | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 5.7 | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 5.7 | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 5.7 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.69 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.69 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 5.75 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.83 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 5.87 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.85 | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.82 | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 5.79 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 5.75 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.69 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 5.63 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 5.56 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.48 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.4 | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 5.32 | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.22 | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.1 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 4.96 | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 4.81 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 4.68 | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 4.54 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 4.37 | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.21 | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 4.12 | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 4.06 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.98 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.81 | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.67 | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 3.6 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.63 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 3.68 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.62 | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.51 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.43 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.41 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.44 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.39 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.31 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.25 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.34 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 3.28 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.24 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.22 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.18 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.1 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.02 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.92 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 2.85 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.77 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.72 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.69 | -0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.69 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15, 86% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.69 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.76 | 5.7 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.76 | 5.7 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.77 | 5.69 | 5.87 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.41 | 4.96 | 5.75 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.23 | 3.67 | 4.81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5 | 3.31 | 3.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.19 | 2.92 | 3.34 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.76 | 2.69 | 2.85 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 69 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.72 compare
- 70 Syria 2.71 compare
- 71 East Timor 2.71 compare
- 73 Turkmenistan 2.69 compare
- 74 Mongolia 2.69 compare
- 75 Haiti 2.66 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 fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho?
- Fertility vs child mortality in Lesotho was 2.69 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs child mortality recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 in 1976.
- What is the lowest fertility vs child mortality recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.69 in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for fertility vs child mortality?
- Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility vs child mortality rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).