Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho
Lesotho: Proportion of population living below the national poverty line was 49.7% in 2017. ▬ Flat
Latest (2017)
49.7%
World rank
4th
of 63 countries
All-time high
66.6%
in 1994
All-time low
46.8%
in 1986
Years of data
5
1986–2017
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho, 1986–2017
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 49.7% for proportion of population living below the national poverty line in 2017.
That represents a change of down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho peaked at 66.6% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 1986.
That places Lesotho 4th out of 63 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 46.8% | — |
| 1993 | 49.2% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 66.6% | +35.4% |
| 2002 | 56.6% | -15.0% |
| 2017 | 49.7% | -12.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 46.8% | 46.8% | 46.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 57.9% | 49.2% | 66.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 56.6% | 56.6% | 56.6% | 1 |
| 2010s | 49.7% | 49.7% | 49.7% | 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 proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho?
- Proportion of population living below the national poverty line in Lesotho was 49.7% in 2017, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 66.6% in 1994.
- What is the lowest proportion of population living below the national poverty line recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 1986.
- How does Lesotho rank for proportion of population living below the national poverty line?
- Lesotho ranks 4th out of 63 countries with data for 2017.
- Is proportion of population living below the national poverty line rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of population living below the national poverty line (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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