Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities was 20.9% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho, 2008–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho stood at 20.9%. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and up 1,117.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho peaked at 20.9% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.4%, in 2008.
That places Lesotho 102nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 0.4% | — |
| 2009 | 0.4% | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 0.4% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 1.0% | +145.6% |
| 2014 | 1.7% | +75.8% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | +110.6% |
| 2016 | 5.5% | +52.6% |
| 2017 | 7.4% | +34.5% |
| 2018 | 9.3% | +25.7% |
| 2019 | 11.2% | +20.5% |
| 2020 | 13.1% | +17.1% |
| 2021 | 15.1% | +14.6% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +12.8% |
| 2023 | 18.9% | +11.4% |
| 2024 | 20.9% | +10.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 20.9% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 45.5%, 46% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 20.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 22.2%, 94% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +145.6% | 0.4% | 1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 2 |
| 2010s | 4.1% | 0.4% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 13.1% | 20.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 99 Cote d'Ivoire 22.0% compare
- 100 South Sudan 21.9% compare
- 101 Niger 21.5% compare
- 103 Guinea 20.6% compare
- 104 Guinea-Bissau 19.8% compare
- 105 Democratic Republic of Congo 19.4% compare
More population data for Lesotho
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3315 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
- Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6353 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho?
- Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities in Lesotho was 20.9% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 20.9% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.4% in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities?
- Lesotho ranks 102nd out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1,117.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population with access to basic handwashing facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.