Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 35.0% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
35.0%
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
16th
of 161 countries
All-time high
42.2%
in 2001
All-time low
33.4%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho is 35.0%, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho peaked at 42.2% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 33.4%, in 2020.
That places Lesotho 16th out of 161 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42.1% | — |
| 2001 | 42.2% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 42.2% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 42.1% | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 42.0% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 41.6% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 41.2% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 40.5% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 39.8% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 39.1% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 38.3% | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 37.5% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 36.7% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 36.0% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 35.3% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 34.6% | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 34.2% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 33.7% | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 33.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 33.4% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 33.6% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 34.1% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 34.4% | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 35.0% | +1.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 35.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.2%, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 35.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.5% | 39.8% | 42.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 33.6% | 39.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.1% | 33.4% | 35.0% | 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)
- 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 stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho?
- Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Lesotho was 35.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 42.2% in 2001.
- What is the lowest stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.4% in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Lesotho ranks 16th out of 161 countries with data for 2024.
- Is stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Stunting prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% height-for-age <-2 SD), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).