Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth, total was 57.8 years in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
57.8 years
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
214th
of 218 countries
All-time high
59.57 years
in 1988
All-time low
43.18 years
in 2006
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2024, life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho stood at 57.8 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and up 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho peaked at 59.57 years in 1988 and was at its lowest, 43.18 years, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 214th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 50.17 years | — |
| 1961 | 50.27 years | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 50.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 50.26 years | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 50.31 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 50.33 years | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 50.38 years | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 50.51 years | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 50.79 years | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 51.12 years | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 51.5 years | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 51.84 years | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 52.26 years | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 52.62 years | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 52.94 years | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 53.45 years | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 53.93 years | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 54.53 years | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 55.17 years | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 55.84 years | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 56.53 years | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 57.31 years | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 57.98 years | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 58.49 years | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 58.95 years | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 59.21 years | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 59.35 years | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 59.56 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 59.57 years | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 59.51 years | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 59.32 years | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 59.06 years | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 58.64 years | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 58.06 years | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 57.29 years | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 56.37 years | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 55.14 years | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 53.73 years | -2.5% |
| 1998 | 52.03 years | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 50.38 years | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 48.78 years | -3.2% |
| 2001 | 47.15 years | -3.3% |
| 2002 | 45.95 years | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 44.92 years | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 44.04 years | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 43.61 years | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 43.18 years | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 43.66 years | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 44.3 years | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 45.05 years | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 46.05 years | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 46.93 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 48.23 years | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 49.55 years | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 50.79 years | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 51.83 years | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 52.91 years | +2.1% |
| 2017 | 53.87 years | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 54.64 years | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 55.25 years | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 55.13 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 54.21 years | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 56.81 years | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 57.38 years | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 57.8 years | +0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 57.8 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.9 years, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 57.8 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26 years, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.44 years | 50.17 years | 51.12 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 53.41 years | 51.5 years | 55.84 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.65 years | 56.53 years | 59.57 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 56 years | 50.38 years | 59.32 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.07 years | 43.18 years | 48.78 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 51 years | 46.05 years | 55.25 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.27 years | 54.21 years | 57.8 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, total in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho was 57.8 years in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 59.57 years in 1988.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.18 years in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Lesotho ranks 214th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
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.