Share of births by age of mother in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of births by age of mother was 15.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
15.3%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
37th
of 236 countries
All-time high
19.7%
in 2007
All-time low
12.0%
in 1955
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of births by age of mother in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of births by age of mother in Lesotho is 15.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births by age of mother in Lesotho peaked at 19.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 12.0%, in 1955.
Lesotho ranks 37th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Share of births by age of mother in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.4% | — |
| 1951 | 12.4% | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 12.4% | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 12.3% | -0.9% |
| 1954 | 12.2% | -1.1% |
| 1955 | 12.0% | -1.1% |
| 1956 | 12.1% | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 12.1% | +0.2% |
| 1958 | 12.1% | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 12.1% | +0.4% |
| 1960 | 12.2% | +0.7% |
| 1961 | 12.3% | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 12.3% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 12.4% | +0.8% |
| 1964 | 12.6% | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 12.8% | +1.9% |
| 1966 | 13.0% | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 13.2% | +1.5% |
| 1968 | 13.1% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 12.7% | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 12.3% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 12.6% | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 13.1% | +3.5% |
| 1973 | 13.5% | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 13.8% | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 14.1% | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 14.6% | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 15.1% | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 15.0% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 14.9% | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 14.3% | -4.4% |
| 1981 | 13.6% | -4.5% |
| 1982 | 13.3% | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 13.3% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 13.5% | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 13.7% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 13.7% | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 13.1% | -4.7% |
| 1988 | 13.1% | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 13.2% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 13.4% | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 13.7% | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 13.9% | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 14.2% | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 14.8% | +4.7% |
| 1995 | 15.0% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 15.8% | +5.3% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 17.1% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 17.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 17.8% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 17.8% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 18.5% | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 18.5% | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 19.2% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | +2.2% |
| 2007 | 19.7% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 19.2% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 18.2% | -5.1% |
| 2010 | 17.3% | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 16.4% | -4.8% |
| 2012 | 16.6% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 16.4% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.9% | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 15.4% | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 15.7% | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 15.6% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 15.3% | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 15.2% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 15.2% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 15.4% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 15.4% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 15.3% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.2% | 12.0% | 12.4% | 10 |
| 1960s | 12.7% | 12.2% | 13.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.9% | 12.3% | 15.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.5% | 13.1% | 14.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.1% | 13.4% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.6% | 17.5% | 19.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.0% | 15.2% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.3% | 15.2% | 15.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 34 Burkina Faso 15.6% compare
- 35 El Salvador 15.4% compare
- 36 Paraguay 15.3% compare
- 38 Eswatini 15.2% compare
- 39 Somalia 15.2% compare
- 40 Guinea-Bissau 15.2% 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)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 3.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births by age of mother in Lesotho?
- Share of births by age of mother in Lesotho was 15.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births by age of mother recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 19.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of births by age of mother recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.0% in 1955.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of births by age of mother?
- Lesotho ranks 37th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of births by age of mother rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births by age of mother. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of live births in a calendar year.