Neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Neonatal mortality rate was 2.9% in 2019. ▼ Falling
Latest (2019)
2.9%
Change on year
down 2.1%
World rank
13th
of 204 countries
All-time high
4.8%
in 1950
All-time low
2.9%
in 2019
Years of data
70
1950–2019
Neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho, 1950–2019
Source: IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.9% for neonatal mortality rate in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 70 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 19.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho peaked at 4.8% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 13th of 204 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.8% | — |
| 1951 | 4.8% | -0.2% |
| 1952 | 4.8% | -0.2% |
| 1953 | 4.7% | -1.7% |
| 1954 | 4.8% | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 4.8% | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 1957 | 4.7% | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 4.7% | -0.2% |
| 1961 | 4.7% | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 4.7% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 4.7% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 4.7% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 4.8% | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 4.8% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 4.8% | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 4.7% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 4.7% | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 4.6% | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 4.6% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 4.6% | -1.1% |
| 1973 | 4.5% | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 4.4% | -2.0% |
| 1975 | 4.3% | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 4.3% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 4.2% | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 4.2% | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 4.1% | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 4.1% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 4.1% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 4.1% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 4.1% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 4.1% | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 4.0% | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 4.0% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 4.0% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 3.9% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 3.9% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 3.8% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 3.8% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 3.8% | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 3.7% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 3.7% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.5% | -4.8% |
| 2010 | 3.4% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 3.2% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 3.1% | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.9% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -2.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.0%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.4%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.7% | 4.7% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.1% | 4.1% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.5% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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)
- 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)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho?
- Neonatal mortality rate in Lesotho was 2.9% in 2019, according to IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1950.
- What is the lowest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for neonatal mortality rate?
- Lesotho ranks 13th out of 204 countries with data for 2019.
- Is neonatal mortality rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Neonatal mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 70 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Probability of death between 0 and 27 days.