Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Lesotho
Lesotho: Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index was 0.357 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Lesotho, 2010–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for inequality-adjusted human development index in Lesotho is 0.357, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, inequality-adjusted human development index in Lesotho peaked at 0.357 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.271, in 2010.
That places Lesotho 141st out of 166 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0.271 | — |
| 2011 | 0.276 | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 0.283 | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 0.288 | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 0.295 | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.3 | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 0.306 | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 0.309 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.347 | +12.3% |
| 2019 | 0.349 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 0.347 | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 0.345 | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 0.354 | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 0.357 | +0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.357 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.438, 82% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.357 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.36, 99% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.3024 | 0.271 | 0.349 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3508 | 0.345 | 0.357 | 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 inequality-adjusted human development index in Lesotho?
- Inequality-adjusted human development index in Lesotho was 0.357 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.357 in 2023.
- What is the lowest inequality-adjusted human development index recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.271 in 2010.
- How does Lesotho rank for inequality-adjusted human development index?
- Lesotho ranks 141st out of 166 countries with data for 2023.
- Is inequality-adjusted human development index rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living, adjusted for inequalities in these dimensions. Higher values indicate higher and more equal human development.