Fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho
Lesotho: Fertility vs unmet contraception was 2.66 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.66
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
68th
of 215 countries
All-time high
5.87
in 1976
All-time low
2.66
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.66 for fertility vs unmet contraception in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho peaked at 5.87 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.66, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 68th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.78 | — |
| 1961 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.78 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 5.76 | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.77 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 5.76 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.75 | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 5.72 | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 5.7 | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 5.7 | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 5.7 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.69 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.69 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 5.75 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.83 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 5.87 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.85 | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.82 | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 5.79 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 5.75 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.69 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 5.63 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 5.56 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.48 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.4 | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 5.32 | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.22 | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.1 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 4.96 | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 4.81 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 4.68 | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 4.54 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 4.37 | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.21 | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 4.12 | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 4.06 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.98 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.81 | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.67 | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 3.6 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.63 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 3.68 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.62 | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.51 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.43 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.41 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.44 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.39 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.31 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.25 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.34 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 3.28 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.24 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.22 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.18 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.1 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.02 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.92 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 2.85 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.77 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.72 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.69 | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 2.66 | -1.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.66 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.12, 85% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.66 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.91, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.76 | 5.7 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.77 | 5.69 | 5.87 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.41 | 4.96 | 5.75 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.23 | 3.67 | 4.81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5 | 3.31 | 3.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.19 | 2.92 | 3.34 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.74 | 2.66 | 2.85 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 65 Botswana 2.7 compare
- 66 Syria 2.7 compare
- 67 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.67 compare
- 69 Turkmenistan 2.66 compare
- 70 East Timor 2.63 compare
- 71 Haiti 2.62 compare
More population data for Lesotho
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3315 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6353 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.201 (2100)
- Population density 107.36 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 190,191 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.201 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho?
- Fertility vs unmet contraception in Lesotho was 2.66 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 in 1976.
- What is the lowest fertility vs unmet contraception recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.66 in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for fertility vs unmet contraception?
- Lesotho ranks 68th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility vs unmet contraception rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs unmet contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).