Statizoid

Male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho

Lesotho: Male life expectancy at birth was 54.62 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
54.62 years
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
234th
of 236 countries
All-time high
55.43 years
in 1989
All-time low
41.22 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho, 1950–2023

0204060195019862023

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

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 54.62 years for male life expectancy at birth in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho peaked at 55.43 years in 1989 and was at its lowest, 41.22 years, in 1950.

Lesotho ranks 234th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho, year by year

Year years Change
1950 41.22 years —
1951 41.88 years +1.6%
1952 42.55 years +1.6%
1953 43.18 years +1.5%
1954 43.85 years +1.5%
1955 44.48 years +1.4%
1956 45.06 years +1.3%
1957 45.56 years +1.1%
1958 46.01 years +1.0%
1959 46.32 years +0.7%
1960 46.53 years +0.4%
1961 46.63 years +0.2%
1962 46.66 years +0.1%
1963 46.66 years -0.0%
1964 46.63 years -0.0%
1965 46.63 years -0.0%
1966 46.48 years -0.3%
1967 46.62 years +0.3%
1968 46.92 years +0.6%
1969 47.31 years +0.8%
1970 47.75 years +0.9%
1971 48.09 years +0.7%
1972 48.57 years +1.0%
1973 48.91 years +0.7%
1974 49.36 years +0.9%
1975 49.85 years +1.0%
1976 50.22 years +0.8%
1977 50.73 years +1.0%
1978 51.28 years +1.1%
1979 51.88 years +1.2%
1980 52.54 years +1.3%
1981 53.36 years +1.6%
1982 54.07 years +1.3%
1983 54.53 years +0.9%
1984 55 years +0.8%
1985 55.18 years +0.3%
1986 55.23 years +0.1%
1987 55.41 years +0.3%
1988 55.43 years +0.0%
1989 55.43 years +0.0%
1990 55.29 years -0.3%
1991 55.09 years -0.4%
1992 54.72 years -0.7%
1993 54.21 years -0.9%
1994 53.52 years -1.3%
1995 52.83 years -1.3%
1996 51.8 years -2.0%
1997 50.65 years -2.2%
1998 49.12 years -3.0%
1999 47.82 years -2.6%
2000 46.46 years -2.8%
2001 44.88 years -3.4%
2002 43.84 years -2.3%
2003 42.87 years -2.2%
2004 41.86 years -2.4%
2005 41.44 years -1.0%
2006 41.52 years +0.2%
2007 41.39 years -0.3%
2008 42.12 years +1.8%
2009 42.85 years +1.7%
2010 43.85 years +2.4%
2011 44.53 years +1.5%
2012 45.83 years +2.9%
2013 47.15 years +2.9%
2014 48.32 years +2.5%
2015 49.28 years +2.0%
2016 50.43 years +2.3%
2017 51.39 years +1.9%
2018 52.12 years +1.4%
2019 52.72 years +1.1%
2020 52.5 years -0.4%
2021 51.58 years -1.8%
2022 54.08 years +4.8%
2023 54.62 years +1.0%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 54.62 years is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 65.33 years, 84% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 54.62 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.07 years, 88% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 44.01 years 41.22 years 46.32 years 10
1960s 46.71 years 46.48 years 47.31 years 10
1970s 49.66 years 47.75 years 51.88 years 10
1980s 54.62 years 52.54 years 55.43 years 10
1990s 52.5 years 47.82 years 55.29 years 10
2000s 42.92 years 41.39 years 46.46 years 10
2010s 48.56 years 43.85 years 52.72 years 10
2020s 53.2 years 51.58 years 54.62 years 4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 231 Somalia 56.35 years compare
  2. 232 Central African Republic 55.26 years compare
  3. 233 South Sudan 54.64 years compare
  4. 235 Nigeria 54.18 years compare
  5. 236 Chad 53.2 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho?
Male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho was 54.62 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest male life expectancy at birth recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 55.43 years in 1989.
What is the lowest male life expectancy at birth recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 41.22 years in 1950.
How does Lesotho rank for male life expectancy at birth?
Lesotho ranks 234th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is male life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 Male life expectancy at birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Male life expectancy at birth in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/mens-life-expectancy-at-birth/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Male life expectancy at birth
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.