Number of infant deaths (United Nations) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Number of infant deaths (United Nations) was 3,104 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3,104 deaths
Change on year
down 3.7%
World rank
73rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
6,106 deaths
in 1976
All-time low
3,104 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
72
1953–2024
Number of infant deaths in Lesotho, 1953–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of infant deaths in Lesotho is 3,104 deaths, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 72 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.7% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths in Lesotho peaked at 6,106 deaths in 1976 and was at its lowest, 3,104 deaths, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 73rd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 72 years of available data.
Number of infant deaths (United Nations) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 4,090 deaths | — |
| 1954 | 4,107 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 4,120 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 4,131 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 4,163 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1958 | 4,214 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1959 | 4,289 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 4,387 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1961 | 4,512 deaths | +2.8% |
| 1962 | 4,664 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 4,831 deaths | +3.6% |
| 1964 | 5,003 deaths | +3.6% |
| 1965 | 5,176 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 5,335 deaths | +3.1% |
| 1967 | 5,470 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1968 | 5,570 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 5,637 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1970 | 5,689 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 5,746 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 5,814 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 5,870 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 5,951 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1975 | 6,045 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 6,106 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1977 | 6,104 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 6,047 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 5,954 deaths | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 5,831 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1981 | 5,688 deaths | -2.5% |
| 1982 | 5,547 deaths | -2.5% |
| 1983 | 5,420 deaths | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 5,300 deaths | -2.2% |
| 1985 | 5,192 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1986 | 5,104 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 5,107 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 5,074 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 4,929 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 4,794 deaths | -2.7% |
| 1991 | 4,694 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 4,620 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 4,537 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 4,468 deaths | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 4,440 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 4,438 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 4,433 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 4,343 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 4,236 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 4,196 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 4,255 deaths | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 4,375 deaths | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 4,441 deaths | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 4,406 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 4,377 deaths | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 4,377 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4,418 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 4,799 deaths | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 4,453 deaths | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 4,225 deaths | -5.1% |
| 2011 | 4,173 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 4,277 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 4,333 deaths | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 4,271 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 4,184 deaths | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 4,149 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 4,117 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 3,889 deaths | -5.5% |
| 2019 | 3,711 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 3,556 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2021 | 3,431 deaths | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 3,320 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2023 | 3,224 deaths | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 3,104 deaths | -3.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 3,104 deaths is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 7,969 deaths, 39% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 3,104 deaths is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22,678 deaths, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4,159 deaths | 4,090 deaths | 4,289 deaths | 7 |
| 1960s | 5,058 deaths | 4,387 deaths | 5,637 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 5,933 deaths | 5,689 deaths | 6,106 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 5,319 deaths | 4,929 deaths | 5,831 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 4,500 deaths | 4,236 deaths | 4,794 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,410 deaths | 4,196 deaths | 4,799 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 4,133 deaths | 3,711 deaths | 4,333 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,327 deaths | 3,104 deaths | 3,556 deaths | 5 |
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)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths in Lesotho?
- Number of infant deaths in Lesotho was 3,104 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of infant deaths recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 6,106 deaths in 1976.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,104 deaths in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for number of infant deaths?
- Lesotho ranks 73rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of infant deaths rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of infant deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under 1 .