Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth was 51.48 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
51.48
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
184th
of 184 countries
All-time high
51.85
in 2020
All-time low
42.39
in 2006
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Lesotho is 51.48, measured in 2021.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Lesotho peaked at 51.85 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 42.39, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 184th of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 47.38 | — |
| 2001 | 47.97 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 47.83 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 45.65 | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 43.81 | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 42.66 | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 42.39 | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 43.89 | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 45.9 | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 47.42 | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 48.57 | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 49.1 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 49.02 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 48.96 | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 48.68 | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 48.84 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 49.95 | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 51.05 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 51.6 | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 51.78 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 51.85 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 51.48 | -0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 51.48 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 66.81, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 51.48 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.05, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.49 | 42.39 | 47.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 49.76 | 48.57 | 51.78 | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.67 | 51.48 | 51.85 | 2 |
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 in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy at birth in Lesotho was 51.48 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 51.85 in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.39 in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Lesotho ranks 184th out of 184 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).