Gender Inequality Index in Lesotho
Lesotho: Gender Inequality Index was 0.534 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Lesotho, 1995–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gender inequality index in Lesotho is 0.534, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Lesotho peaked at 0.606 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 0.534, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 27th of 169 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.605 | — |
| 1996 | 0.606 | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 0.572 | -5.6% |
| 1998 | 0.568 | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 0.572 | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 0.579 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 0.586 | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 0.591 | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 0.578 | -2.2% |
| 2004 | 0.575 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 0.583 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 0.598 | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 0.579 | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 0.58 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 0.591 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 0.59 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 0.589 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 0.583 | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 0.575 | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.57 | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.568 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 0.565 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 0.566 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 0.559 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 0.56 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 0.548 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 0.544 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 0.535 | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 0.534 | -0.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.534 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.492, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.534 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.526, 1.0× the median. (41 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.5846 | 0.568 | 0.606 | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.584 | 0.575 | 0.598 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5725 | 0.559 | 0.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5403 | 0.534 | 0.548 | 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. 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 gender inequality index in Lesotho?
- Gender inequality index in Lesotho was 0.534 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.606 in 1996.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.534 in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for gender inequality index?
- Lesotho ranks 27th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.