Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho
Lesotho: Life expectancy at birth, total was 57.38 years in 2023. βΌ Falling
Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho, 1970β2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho stood at 57.38 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho peaked at 59.57 years in 1988 and was at its lowest, 43.18 years, in 2006.
That places Lesotho 210th out of 212 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 53.41 years | 51.5 years | 55.84 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 58.65 years | 56.53 years | 59.57 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 56 years | 50.38 years | 59.32 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.07 years | 43.18 years | 48.78 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 51 years | 46.05 years | 55.25 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 55.88 years | 54.21 years | 57.38 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More population data for Lesotho
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.201 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 190,191 (2100)
- Population density 107.36 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.201 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 2.66 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 419 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 2.66 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 2.66 (2024)
- Natural population growth 1.35 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 2.69 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho?
- Life expectancy at birth, total in Lesotho was 57.38 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 59.57 years in 1988.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.18 years in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
- Lesotho ranks 210th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release