Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 12.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho, 1992–2024
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
In 2024, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho stood at 12.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho peaked at 18.9% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 2014.
Lesotho ranks 37th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 13.8% | — |
| 1993 | 18.9% | +37.0% |
| 2004 | 16.6% | -12.2% |
| 2009 | 13.4% | -19.3% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | -21.6% |
| 2018 | 10.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.5% | +19.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 12.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.6%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 12.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.3%, 87% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.4% | 13.8% | 18.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 15.0% | 13.4% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 2 |
| 2020s | 12.5% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 1 |
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. share in extreme poverty 804.1 kg per hectare (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Lesotho was 12.5% in 2024, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 18.9% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 2014.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Lesotho ranks 37th out of 96 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.