Life expectancy in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy was 57.37 years in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
57.37 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
59.57 years
in 1988
All-time low
43.18 years
in 2006
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 57.37 years for life expectancy in 2023.
The figure is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Lesotho peaked at 59.57 years in 1988 and was at its lowest, 43.18 years, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 234th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Life expectancy in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 44.63 years | — |
| 1951 | 45.22 years | +1.3% |
| 1952 | 45.9 years | +1.5% |
| 1953 | 46.58 years | +1.5% |
| 1954 | 47.3 years | +1.6% |
| 1955 | 47.96 years | +1.4% |
| 1956 | 48.61 years | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 49.16 years | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 49.6 years | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 49.92 years | +0.6% |
| 1960 | 50.17 years | +0.5% |
| 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 | +0.5% |
| 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 | 58.5 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 | 59.5 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 | 45.06 years | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 46.04 years | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 46.93 years | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 48.24 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 | 57.37 years | +1.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 57.37 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 67.65 years, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 57.37 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 47.49 years | 44.63 years | 49.92 years | 10 |
| 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 | 46.04 years | 55.25 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.88 years | 54.21 years | 57.37 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 231 Somalia 58.82 years compare
- 232 South Sudan 57.62 years compare
- 233 Central African Republic 57.41 years compare
- 235 Chad 55.07 years compare
- 236 Nigeria 54.46 years compare
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 in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy in Lesotho was 57.37 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 59.57 years in 1988.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.18 years in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy?
- Lesotho ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.