Lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho

Lesotho: Lifetime risk of maternal death was 1.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
1.3%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
22nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
4.2%
in 2009
All-time low
1.2%
in 1997
Years of data
39
1985–2023

Lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho, 1985–2023

12341985200420231985: 3.7 %1986: 3.5 %1987: 3.5 %1988: 3.4 %1989: 3.3 %1990: 3.2 %1991: 3 %1992: 2.7 %1993: 2.3 %1994: 1.7 %1995: 1.4 %1996: 1.2 %1997: 1.2 %1998: 1.2 %1999: 1.2 %2000: 1.3 %2001: 1.5 %2002: 1.5 %2003: 1.6 %2004: 1.5 %2005: 1.6 %2006: 2 %2007: 2.7 %2008: 3.6 %2009: 4.2 %2010: 3.9 %2011: 3.8 %2012: 3.2 %2013: 2.7 %2014: 2.3 %2015: 1.9 %2016: 1.6 %2017: 1.5 %2018: 1.5 %2019: 1.4 %2020: 1.5 %2021: 1.6 %2022: 1.3 %2023: 1.3 %

Source: Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho stood at 1.3%.

The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 53.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho peaked at 4.2% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1997.

That places Lesotho 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 39 years of available data.

Lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Lifetime risk of maternal death (%) in Lesotho, 1985 to 2023.
Year % Change
1985 3.7%
1986 3.5% -6.6%
1987 3.5% +1.9%
1988 3.4% -3.0%
1989 3.3% -2.8%
1990 3.2% -5.3%
1991 3.0% -6.5%
1992 2.7% -9.5%
1993 2.3% -13.8%
1994 1.7% -25.0%
1995 1.4% -18.2%
1996 1.2% -12.7%
1997 1.2% -4.9%
1998 1.2% +0.2%
1999 1.2% +5.5%
2000 1.3% +7.1%
2001 1.5% +11.3%
2002 1.5% +3.9%
2003 1.6% +2.6%
2004 1.5% -5.1%
2005 1.6% +8.5%
2006 2.0% +23.6%
2007 2.7% +33.7%
2008 3.6% +35.8%
2009 4.2% +14.2%
2010 3.9% -5.6%
2011 3.8% -3.5%
2012 3.2% -16.8%
2013 2.7% -13.6%
2014 2.3% -17.5%
2015 1.9% -16.0%
2016 1.6% -12.8%
2017 1.5% -11.1%
2018 1.5% +2.0%
2019 1.4% -8.0%
2020 1.5% +9.2%
2021 1.6% +5.9%
2022 1.3% -18.6%
2023 1.3% -1.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.5% 3.3% 3.7% 5
1990s 1.9% 1.2% 3.2% 10
2000s 2.2% 1.3% 4.2% 10
2010s 2.4% 1.4% 3.9% 10
2020s 1.4% 1.3% 1.6% 4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 19 Togo 1.4% compare
  2. 20 Sierra Leone 1.4% compare
  3. 21 Zimbabwe 1.3% compare
  4. 23 Tanzania, United Republic of 1.3% compare
  5. 24 Cameroon 1.1% compare
  6. 25 Sudan 1.1% compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More health data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho?
Lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho was 1.3% in 2023, according to Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO).
What is the highest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 4.2% in 2009.
What is the lowest lifetime risk of maternal death recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1997.
How does Lesotho rank for lifetime risk of maternal death?
Lesotho ranks 22nd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is lifetime risk of maternal death rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 53.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Lifetime risk of maternal death (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Lifetime risk of maternal death in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO). Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/lifetime-risk-of-maternal-death-percent/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Lifetime risk of maternal death (%)
Unit
%
Source
Trends in Maternal Mortality, World Health Organization (WHO)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
241 places, 9,399 data points, 1985–2023
Last refreshed

Life time risk of maternal death is the probability that a 15-year-old female will die eventually from a maternal cause assuming that current levels of fertility and mortality (including maternal mortality) do not change in the future, taking into account competing causes of death.