Share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population living below national poverty lines was 49.7% in 2017. ▬ Flat
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho, 1986–2017
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho is 49.7%, measured in 2017.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho peaked at 66.6% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 46.8%, in 1986.
That places Lesotho 4th out of 70 countries with data for 2017, putting it in the top 10%.
Share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of population | 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
- 1 Mozambique 65.0% compare
- 2 Malawi 50.7% compare
- 3 Guinea-Bissau 50.5% compare
- 5 Kenya 39.8% compare
- 6 Argentina 38.1%
- 7 South Africa 37.9% compare
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 population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho?
- Share of population living below national poverty lines in Lesotho was 49.7% in 2017, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 66.6% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of population living below national poverty lines recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.8% in 1986.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population living below national poverty lines?
- Lesotho ranks 4th out of 70 countries with data for 2017.
- Is share of population living below national poverty lines 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 World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living below national poverty lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.