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.

Life expectancy in Lesotho

Name: Life expectancy in Lesotho
Creator: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

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

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.

Compared with earlier readings it 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.

That places Lesotho 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

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

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Lesotho

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)
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 20,203 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 20,491 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 20,958 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 21,166 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 22,125 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 22,257 (2025)

All data for Lesotho →

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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Life expectancy
Unit: years
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 19,452 data points, 1543–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

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.