Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho

Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 60.01 years in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
60.01 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
233rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.04 years
in 1988
All-time low
44.85 years
in 2006
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 60.01 years for life expectancy at birth, by sex in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho peaked at 64.04 years in 1988 and was at its lowest, 44.85 years, in 2006.

That places Lesotho 233rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 50.17 years 47.42 years 52.61 years 10
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 58.48 years 56.8 years 60.01 years 4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 230 Guinea 61.9 years compare
  2. 231 Somalia 61.39 years compare
  3. 232 South Sudan 60.63 years compare
  4. 234 Central African Republic 59.29 years compare
  5. 235 Chad 57.01 years compare
  6. 236 Nigeria 54.74 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho?
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in Lesotho was 60.01 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 64.04 years in 1988.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 44.85 years in 2006.
How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
Lesotho ranks 233rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, by sex
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy at birth.