Mortality rate, infant in Lesotho
Lesotho: Mortality rate, infant was 56.3 per 1,000 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
56.3 per 1,000 live births
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
10th
of 197 countries
All-time high
145.9 per 1,000 live births
in 1966
All-time low
56.3 per 1,000 live births
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Mortality rate, infant in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in per 1,000 live births.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 56.3 per 1,000 live births for mortality rate, infant in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.6% on the previous year and down 19.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mortality rate, infant in Lesotho peaked at 145.9 per 1,000 live births in 1966 and was at its lowest, 56.3 per 1,000 live births, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 10th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Mortality rate, infant in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 138.4 per 1,000 live births | — |
| 1961 | 138.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 140.1 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 141.9 per 1,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 143.7 per 1,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 145.1 per 1,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 145.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.6% |
| 1967 | 145.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 145.2 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 143.9 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 141.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 139.5 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 137.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 134.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 131.6 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 128 per 1,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 123.8 per 1,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 1977 | 119.3 per 1,000 live births | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 114.8 per 1,000 live births | -3.8% |
| 1979 | 110.1 per 1,000 live births | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 105.5 per 1,000 live births | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 101 per 1,000 live births | -4.3% |
| 1982 | 96.7 per 1,000 live births | -4.3% |
| 1983 | 92.9 per 1,000 live births | -3.9% |
| 1984 | 89.4 per 1,000 live births | -3.8% |
| 1985 | 86.2 per 1,000 live births | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 83.4 per 1,000 live births | -3.2% |
| 1987 | 81 per 1,000 live births | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 78.9 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 1989 | 77.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 75.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 75.1 per 1,000 live births | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 74.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 74.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 75.1 per 1,000 live births | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 75.3 per 1,000 live births | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 75.1 per 1,000 live births | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 74.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 1998 | 74.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 74.4 per 1,000 live births | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 74.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 75.5 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 76.4 per 1,000 live births | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 77.1 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 77.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 78.9 per 1,000 live births | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 79.6 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 79 per 1,000 live births | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 83.9 per 1,000 live births | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 77.6 per 1,000 live births | -7.5% |
| 2010 | 73.6 per 1,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 70.9 per 1,000 live births | -3.7% |
| 2012 | 71 per 1,000 live births | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 71.4 per 1,000 live births | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 70.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 69 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 68.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 68 per 1,000 live births | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 65.2 per 1,000 live births | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 63.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 62.1 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 61.1 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 59.9 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 58.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 live births | -3.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 142.9 per 1,000 live births | 138.4 per 1,000 live births | 145.9 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 128.07 per 1,000 live births | 110.1 per 1,000 live births | 141.8 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 89.22 per 1,000 live births | 77.2 per 1,000 live births | 105.5 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 74.96 per 1,000 live births | 74.3 per 1,000 live births | 75.9 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.06 per 1,000 live births | 74.8 per 1,000 live births | 83.9 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.11 per 1,000 live births | 63.5 per 1,000 live births | 73.6 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.56 per 1,000 live births | 56.3 per 1,000 live births | 62.1 per 1,000 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 7 Guinea 59.8 per 1,000 live births compare
- 8 Central African Republic 58.8 per 1,000 live births compare
- 9 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 56.4 per 1,000 live births compare
- 10 Chad 56.3 per 1,000 live births compare
- 12 Sierra Leone 54.6 per 1,000 live births compare
- 13 Afghanistan 48.3 per 1,000 live births 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)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,227 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 382 (2100)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, annual growth rate 1.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, total, per capita 0.0388 units per person (2025)
- Population, female, annual growth rate 1.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, female, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population, female, per capita 0.5125 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mortality rate, infant in Lesotho?
- Mortality rate, infant in Lesotho was 56.3 per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest mortality rate, infant recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 145.9 per 1,000 live births in 1966.
- What is the lowest mortality rate, infant recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.3 per 1,000 live births in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for mortality rate, infant?
- Lesotho ranks 10th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mortality rate, infant rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.