Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty was 804.1 kg per hectare in 2023. ▼ Falling
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg per hectare.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 804.1 kg per hectare for cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho peaked at 1,353 kg per hectare in 1998 and was at its lowest, 374.5 kg per hectare, in 2008.
That places Lesotho 168th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | kg per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,037 kg per hectare | — |
| 1991 | 460.3 kg per hectare | -55.6% |
| 1992 | 612.1 kg per hectare | +33.0% |
| 1993 | 972.6 kg per hectare | +58.9% |
| 1994 | 818.2 kg per hectare | -15.9% |
| 1995 | 776.4 kg per hectare | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 1,184 kg per hectare | +52.4% |
| 1997 | 1,016 kg per hectare | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 1,353 kg per hectare | +33.2% |
| 1999 | 943.3 kg per hectare | -30.3% |
| 2000 | 718.8 kg per hectare | -23.8% |
| 2001 | 995.5 kg per hectare | +38.5% |
| 2002 | 736.3 kg per hectare | -26.0% |
| 2003 | 609.1 kg per hectare | -17.3% |
| 2004 | 595.4 kg per hectare | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 686.8 kg per hectare | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 490.8 kg per hectare | -28.5% |
| 2007 | 414.4 kg per hectare | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 374.5 kg per hectare | -9.6% |
| 2009 | 402.2 kg per hectare | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 909.1 kg per hectare | +126.0% |
| 2011 | 664.3 kg per hectare | -26.9% |
| 2012 | 655.6 kg per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 769 kg per hectare | +17.3% |
| 2014 | 683.2 kg per hectare | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 661.5 kg per hectare | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 471.4 kg per hectare | -28.7% |
| 2017 | 990.2 kg per hectare | +110.1% |
| 2018 | 715.9 kg per hectare | -27.7% |
| 2019 | 705 kg per hectare | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 436.7 kg per hectare | -38.1% |
| 2021 | 972.5 kg per hectare | +122.7% |
| 2022 | 728.9 kg per hectare | -25.0% |
| 2023 | 804.1 kg per hectare | +10.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 804.1 kg per hectare is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,085 kg per hectare, 39% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 804.1 kg per hectare is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg per hectare, 60% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 917.25 kg per hectare | 460.3 kg per hectare | 1,353 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 602.38 kg per hectare | 374.5 kg per hectare | 995.5 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 722.52 kg per hectare | 471.4 kg per hectare | 990.2 kg per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 735.55 kg per hectare | 436.7 kg per hectare | 972.5 kg per hectare | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More poverty & inequality data for Lesotho
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 10.32 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 30.43 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.4% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate -3.46 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho?
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho was 804.1 kg per hectare in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1,353 kg per hectare in 1998.
- What is the lowest cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 374.5 kg per hectare in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Lesotho ranks 168th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day. This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.