Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Lesotho

Lesotho: Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation was 45.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
45.0%
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
166th
of 186 countries
All-time high
45.0%
in 2024
All-time low
25.7%
in 2000
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Lesotho, 2000–2024

010203040502000201220242000: 25.7 %2001: 26.5 %2002: 27.2 %2003: 28 %2004: 28.8 %2005: 29.6 %2006: 30.3 %2007: 31.1 %2008: 31.9 %2009: 32.7 %2010: 33.5 %2011: 34.3 %2012: 35.1 %2013: 36 %2014: 36.8 %2015: 37.6 %2016: 38.4 %2017: 39.2 %2018: 40 %2019: 40.9 %2020: 41.7 %2021: 42.5 %2022: 43.4 %2023: 44.2 %2024: 45 %

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 45.0% for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in 2024. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 22.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Lesotho peaked at 45.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 25.7%, in 2000.

Lesotho ranks 166th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 29.2% 25.7% 32.7% 10
2010s 37.2% 33.5% 40.9% 10
2020s 43.4% 41.7% 45.0% 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 163 Guinea 48.4% compare
  2. 164 Malawi 48.0% compare
  3. 165 Eswatini 47.5% compare
  4. 167 Zambia 43.3% compare
  5. 168 Guinea-Bissau 42.8% compare
  6. 169 Burundi 42.0% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More population data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Lesotho?
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation in Lesotho was 45.0% 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 urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 25.7% in 2000.
How does Lesotho rank for share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation?
Lesotho ranks 166th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
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 urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban vs. rural population using at least basic sanitation
Unit
%
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 4,556 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Proportion of people using improved sanitation facilities, such as toilets or latrines, that are not shared with other households.