Infant mortality rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Infant mortality rate was 5.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of infants.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 5.7% for infant 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 14.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Lesotho peaked at 16.2% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 10th 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 | 14.7% | 13.4% | 16.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 13.0% | 12.7% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 11.2% | 9.7% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.9% | 6.9% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.3% | 6.8% | 8.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.4% | 7.7% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.5% | 6.0% | 7.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.8% | 5.7% | 6.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 7 Chad 6.4% compare
- 8 South Sudan 6.4% compare
- 9 Mali 6.1% compare
- 11 Liberia 5.6% compare
- 12 Equatorial Guinea 5.3% compare
- 13 Burkina Faso 5.2% 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 infant mortality rate in Lesotho?
- Infant mortality rate in Lesotho was 5.7% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 16.2% in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for infant mortality rate?
- Lesotho ranks 10th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.7%. 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 Infant mortality rate. 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).
About this data
The share of newborns who die before reaching the age of one.