Statizoid

Prevalence of HIV, total in Lesotho

Lesotho: Prevalence of HIV, total was 17.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
17.1%
Change on year
down 5.0%
World rank
3rd
of 152 countries
All-time high
24.9%
in 2011
All-time low
2.3%
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Prevalence of HIV, total in Lesotho, 1990–2024

05101520251990200720241990: 2.3 % of population ages 15-491991: 3.8 % of population ages 15-491992: 5.8 % of population ages 15-491993: 8.3 % of population ages 15-491994: 11.2 % of population ages 15-491995: 14.1 % of population ages 15-491996: 16.6 % of population ages 15-491997: 18.6 % of population ages 15-491998: 20.1 % of population ages 15-491999: 21.2 % of population ages 15-492000: 22 % of population ages 15-492001: 22.5 % of population ages 15-492002: 22.8 % of population ages 15-492003: 23.1 % of population ages 15-492004: 23.2 % of population ages 15-492005: 23.3 % of population ages 15-492006: 23.5 % of population ages 15-492007: 23.8 % of population ages 15-492008: 24.2 % of population ages 15-492009: 24.6 % of population ages 15-492010: 24.8 % of population ages 15-492011: 24.9 % of population ages 15-492012: 24.9 % of population ages 15-492013: 24.9 % of population ages 15-492014: 24.7 % of population ages 15-492015: 24.3 % of population ages 15-492016: 23.8 % of population ages 15-492017: 23.1 % of population ages 15-492018: 22.3 % of population ages 15-492019: 21.5 % of population ages 15-492020: 20.7 % of population ages 15-492021: 19.8 % of population ages 15-492022: 18.9 % of population ages 15-492023: 18 % of population ages 15-492024: 17.1 % of population ages 15-49

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of population ages 15-49.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 17.1% for prevalence of hiv, total in 2024.

That represents a change of down 5.0% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prevalence of hiv, total in Lesotho peaked at 24.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 1990.

Lesotho ranks 3rd of 152 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Prevalence of HIV, total in Lesotho, year by year

Year % of population ages 15-49 Change
1990 2.3% —
1991 3.8% +65.2%
1992 5.8% +52.6%
1993 8.3% +43.1%
1994 11.2% +34.9%
1995 14.1% +25.9%
1996 16.6% +17.7%
1997 18.6% +12.0%
1998 20.1% +8.1%
1999 21.2% +5.5%
2000 22.0% +3.8%
2001 22.5% +2.3%
2002 22.8% +1.3%
2003 23.1% +1.3%
2004 23.2% +0.4%
2005 23.3% +0.4%
2006 23.5% +0.9%
2007 23.8% +1.3%
2008 24.2% +1.7%
2009 24.6% +1.7%
2010 24.8% +0.8%
2011 24.9% +0.4%
2012 24.9% +0.0%
2013 24.9% +0.0%
2014 24.7% -0.8%
2015 24.3% -1.6%
2016 23.8% -2.1%
2017 23.1% -2.9%
2018 22.3% -3.5%
2019 21.5% -3.6%
2020 20.7% -3.7%
2021 19.8% -4.3%
2022 18.9% -4.5%
2023 18.0% -4.8%
2024 17.1% -5.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 12.2% 2.3% 21.2% 10
2000s 23.3% 22.0% 24.6% 10
2010s 23.9% 21.5% 24.9% 10
2020s 18.9% 17.1% 20.7% 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 1 Eswatini 23.4% compare
  2. 2 South Africa 17.2% compare
  3. 4 Botswana 15.7% compare
  4. 5 Mozambique 11.5% compare
  5. 6 Zimbabwe 9.8% compare

See the full ranking of 152 places →

More population data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is prevalence of hiv, total in Lesotho?
Prevalence of hiv, total in Lesotho was 17.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest prevalence of hiv, total recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 24.9% in 2011.
What is the lowest prevalence of hiv, total recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 1990.
How does Lesotho rank for prevalence of hiv, total?
Lesotho ranks 3rd out of 152 countries with data for 2024.
Is prevalence of hiv, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Prevalence of HIV, total in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-hiv-total-percent-of-population-ages-15-49-3/lesotho/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-hiv-total-percent-of-population-ages-15-49-3/lesotho/">Prevalence of HIV, total in Lesotho</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population ages 15-49)
Unit
% of population ages 15-49
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
152 places, 5,267 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release