Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio was 86.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: WHO & UNICEF (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho is 86.0%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 2.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho peaked at 98.0% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 54.0%, in 1981.
Lesotho ranks 122nd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 56.0% | — |
| 1981 | 54.0% | -3.6% |
| 1982 | 59.0% | +9.3% |
| 1983 | 64.0% | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 72.0% | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 80.0% | +11.1% |
| 1986 | 79.0% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 78.0% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 79.0% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 81.0% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 82.0% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 83.0% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 84.0% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 86.0% | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 87.0% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 88.0% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 87.0% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 86.0% | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 86.0% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 86.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 82.0% | -4.7% |
| 2001 | 78.0% | -4.9% |
| 2002 | 84.0% | +7.7% |
| 2003 | 90.0% | +7.1% |
| 2004 | 89.0% | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 88.0% | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 88.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 87.0% | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 86.0% | -1.1% |
| 2009 | 89.0% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 92.0% | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 95.0% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 93.0% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 90.0% | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 88.0% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 85.0% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 87.0% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 88.0% | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 90.0% | +2.3% |
| 2019 | 94.0% | +4.4% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 98.0% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 65.0% | -33.7% |
| 2023 | 87.0% | +33.8% |
| 2024 | 86.0% | -1.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 86.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 84.5%, 1.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 86.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 77.0%, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | -33.7% | 98.0% | 65.0% |
| 2023 | +33.8% | 65.0% | 87.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 70.2% | 54.0% | 81.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.5% | 82.0% | 88.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.1% | 78.0% | 90.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 90.2% | 85.0% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 86.4% | 65.0% | 98.0% | 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 share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho?
- Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio in Lesotho was 86.0% in 2024, according to WHO & UNICEF (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 98.0% in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.0% in 1981.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio?
- Lesotho ranks 122nd out of 194 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from WHO & UNICEF (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of one-year-olds who are vaccinated against polio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of one-year-olds who have had the third dose of either the oral or inactivated polio vaccine in a given year.