Coverage of essential health services in Lesotho
Lesotho: Coverage of essential health services was 55 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Coverage of essential health services in Lesotho, 2000–2023
Source: Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for coverage of essential health services in Lesotho is 55, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, coverage of essential health services in Lesotho peaked at 57 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 31, in 2000.
Lesotho ranks 148th of 193 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Coverage of essential health services in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 31 | — |
| 2001 | 32 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 32 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 33 | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 35 | +6.1% |
| 2005 | 37 | +5.7% |
| 2006 | 39 | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 41 | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 42 | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 43 | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 44 | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 47 | +6.8% |
| 2012 | 49 | +4.3% |
| 2013 | 52 | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 53 | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 55 | +3.8% |
| 2016 | 56 | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 57 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 55 | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 53 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 55 | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 55 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 55 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 55 | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 55 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 55 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.5 | 31 | 43 | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.1 | 44 | 57 | 10 |
| 2020s | 55 | 55 | 55 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 coverage of essential health services in Lesotho?
- Coverage of essential health services in Lesotho was 55 in 2023, according to Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest coverage of essential health services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 57 in 2017.
- What is the lowest coverage of essential health services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 31 in 2000.
- How does Lesotho rank for coverage of essential health services?
- Lesotho ranks 148th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is coverage of essential health services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Universal Health Coverage Dataset, WHO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Coverage of essential health services. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Coverage of essential health services is measured as an index on a scale of 0 to 100 (where higher is better). This index is based on risk-standardized death rates – which give a measure of healthcare access and quality – and whether common interventions are carried out.