Share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of the population infected with hiv was 17.13 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho, 1990–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho stood at 17.13.
The figure is down 5.0% on the previous year and down 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho peaked at 24.93 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 2.34, in 1990.
That places Lesotho 3rd out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.34 | — |
| 1991 | 3.76 | +60.7% |
| 1992 | 5.76 | +53.3% |
| 1993 | 8.27 | +43.6% |
| 1994 | 11.16 | +34.9% |
| 1995 | 14.06 | +26.0% |
| 1996 | 16.6 | +18.1% |
| 1997 | 18.63 | +12.3% |
| 1998 | 20.14 | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 21.25 | +5.5% |
| 2000 | 22.01 | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 22.52 | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 22.83 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 23.05 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 23.17 | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 23.28 | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 23.49 | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 23.82 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 24.22 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 24.56 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 24.78 | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 24.9 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 24.93 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 24.88 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 24.69 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 24.35 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 23.8 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 23.08 | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 22.3 | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 21.5 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 20.69 | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 19.82 | -4.2% |
| 2022 | 18.91 | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 18.03 | -4.6% |
| 2024 | 17.13 | -5.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 17.13 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.7748, 22.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 17.13 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.51, 11.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population infected with hiv 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +60.7% | 2.34 | 3.76 |
| 1992 | +53.3% | 3.76 | 5.76 |
| 1993 | +43.6% | 5.76 | 8.27 |
| 1994 | +34.9% | 8.27 | 11.16 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 12.2 | 2.34 | 21.25 | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.3 | 22.01 | 24.56 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.92 | 21.5 | 24.93 | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.92 | 17.13 | 20.69 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 1 Eswatini 23.38 compare
- 2 South Africa 17.2 compare
- 4 Botswana 15.74 compare
- 5 Mozambique 11.46 compare
- 6 Zimbabwe 9.78 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 share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho?
- Share of the population infected with hiv in Lesotho was 17.13 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population infected with hiv recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 24.93 in 2012.
- What is the lowest share of the population infected with hiv recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of the population infected with hiv?
- Lesotho ranks 3rd out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population infected with hiv rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population infected with hiv. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).