Life expectancy at birth, female (years) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth, female (years) was 60.44 years in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
60.44 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
215th
of 218 countries
All-time high
64.04 years
in 1988
All-time low
44.85 years
in 2006
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, female in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth, female in Lesotho is 60.44 years, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, female in Lesotho peaked at 64.04 years in 1988 and was at its lowest, 44.85 years, in 2006.
That places Lesotho 215th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, female (years) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.92 years | — |
| 1961 | 53.06 years | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 53.12 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 53.07 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 53.21 years | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 53.27 years | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 53.54 years | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 53.75 years | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 54.12 years | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 54.48 years | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 54.91 years | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 55.37 years | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 55.8 years | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 56.29 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 56.55 years | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 57.17 years | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 57.86 years | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 58.59 years | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 59.36 years | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 60.13 years | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 60.88 years | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 61.6 years | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 62.21 years | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 62.82 years | +1.0% |
| 1984 | 63.29 years | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 63.66 years | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 63.93 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 64.03 years | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 64.04 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 63.87 years | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 63.62 years | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 63.28 years | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 62.8 years | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 62.13 years | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 61.26 years | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 60.08 years | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 58.62 years | -2.4% |
| 1997 | 56.94 years | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 55.04 years | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 53.01 years | -3.7% |
| 2000 | 51.15 years | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 49.48 years | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 48.11 years | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 47.03 years | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 46.32 years | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 45.9 years | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 44.85 years | -2.3% |
| 2007 | 46.09 years | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 46.61 years | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 47.37 years | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 48.3 years | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 49.43 years | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 50.7 years | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 51.96 years | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 53.25 years | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 54.35 years | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 55.33 years | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 56.27 years | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 57.05 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 57.67 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 57.67 years | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 56.8 years | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 59.43 years | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 60.01 years | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 60.44 years | +0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 60.44 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 70.73 years, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 60.44 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.92 years, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 53.45 years | 52.92 years | 54.48 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 57.2 years | 54.91 years | 60.13 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 63.03 years | 60.88 years | 64.04 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.68 years | 53.01 years | 63.62 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.29 years | 44.85 years | 51.15 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.43 years | 48.3 years | 57.67 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.87 years | 56.8 years | 60.44 years | 5 |
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 life expectancy at birth, female in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy at birth, female in Lesotho was 60.44 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 64.04 years in 1988.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.85 years in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth, female?
- Lesotho ranks 215th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, female (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.