Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) was 53.5 per 1,000 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
53.5 per 1,000 live births
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
22nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
177.6 per 1,000 live births
in 1965
All-time low
53.5 per 1,000 live births
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Mortality rate, under-5, female 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 53.5 per 1,000 live births for mortality rate, under-5, female in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 23.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mortality rate, under-5, female in Lesotho peaked at 177.6 per 1,000 live births in 1965 and was at its lowest, 53.5 per 1,000 live births, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 22nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 176.3 per 1,000 live births | — |
| 1961 | 175.4 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 175.6 per 1,000 live births | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 176.3 per 1,000 live births | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 177.2 per 1,000 live births | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 177.6 per 1,000 live births | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 177.4 per 1,000 live births | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 176.2 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1968 | 173.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 170.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 167.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 1971 | 163.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 159.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 1973 | 155.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 150.9 per 1,000 live births | -3.0% |
| 1975 | 145.6 per 1,000 live births | -3.5% |
| 1976 | 139.8 per 1,000 live births | -4.0% |
| 1977 | 133.6 per 1,000 live births | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 127.5 per 1,000 live births | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 121.2 per 1,000 live births | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 115.1 per 1,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 109.2 per 1,000 live births | -5.1% |
| 1982 | 103.5 per 1,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 98.4 per 1,000 live births | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 93.8 per 1,000 live births | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 89.7 per 1,000 live births | -4.4% |
| 1986 | 86.1 per 1,000 live births | -4.0% |
| 1987 | 83 per 1,000 live births | -3.6% |
| 1988 | 80.4 per 1,000 live births | -3.1% |
| 1989 | 78.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 1990 | 77 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 76.7 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 1992 | 77.7 per 1,000 live births | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 80 per 1,000 live births | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 83.4 per 1,000 live births | +4.3% |
| 1995 | 87.3 per 1,000 live births | +4.7% |
| 1996 | 91.1 per 1,000 live births | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 94.3 per 1,000 live births | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 96.4 per 1,000 live births | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 98.3 per 1,000 live births | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 100.1 per 1,000 live births | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 102.1 per 1,000 live births | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 103.7 per 1,000 live births | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 104.7 per 1,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 105.2 per 1,000 live births | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 105.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 105.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 103.1 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 102.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 90.6 per 1,000 live births | -11.7% |
| 2010 | 82.7 per 1,000 live births | -8.7% |
| 2011 | 77.2 per 1,000 live births | -6.7% |
| 2012 | 73.4 per 1,000 live births | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 71.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 69.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 67.5 per 1,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 64 per 1,000 live births | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 62.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 61.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 60.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 59.3 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 57.2 per 1,000 live births | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 55.4 per 1,000 live births | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 54.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 53.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 53.5 per 1,000 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33 per 1,000 live births, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 53.5 per 1,000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.05 per 1,000 live births, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 175.68 per 1,000 live births | 170.9 per 1,000 live births | 177.6 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 146.45 per 1,000 live births | 121.2 per 1,000 live births | 167.4 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 93.76 per 1,000 live births | 78.4 per 1,000 live births | 115.1 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 86.22 per 1,000 live births | 76.7 per 1,000 live births | 98.3 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 102.38 per 1,000 live births | 90.6 per 1,000 live births | 105.9 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.15 per 1,000 live births | 60.9 per 1,000 live births | 82.7 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 56 per 1,000 live births | 53.5 per 1,000 live births | 59.3 per 1,000 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 19 Madagascar 57.1 per 1,000 live births compare
- 20 Sudan 56.6 per 1,000 live births compare
- 21 Mozambique 55 per 1,000 live births compare
- 23 Togo 51.7 per 1,000 live births compare
- 24 Pakistan 50.8 per 1,000 live births compare
- 25 Afghanistan 48.9 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 382 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mortality rate, under-5, female in Lesotho?
- Mortality rate, under-5, female in Lesotho was 53.5 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, under-5, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 177.6 per 1,000 live births in 1965.
- What is the lowest mortality rate, under-5, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.5 per 1,000 live births in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for mortality rate, under-5, female?
- Lesotho ranks 22nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mortality rate, under-5, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.4%. 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, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.