How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?

24 years are reported by both, from 1780 to 2010.

Where does this data come from?

Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Lesotho vs South Africa: Share of land defined as natural habitat

Lesotho

34.17

in 2010

South Africa

33.55

in 2010

Lesotho rank

130th

South Africa rank

131st

Share of land defined as natural habitat over time

Lesotho
South Africa

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 34.17 against 33.55 in South Africa, a difference of 0.62.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 24 shared years of data; in 1780 it was South Africa ahead.

Lesotho ranks 130th and South Africa ranks 131st of 168 countries.

Across the 24 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 6 and South Africa in 18.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Lesotho	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1780s	87.7	94.77	7.08	South Africa
1790s	87.51	94.78	7.28	South Africa
1800s	87.31	94.79	7.48	South Africa
1810s	87.11	94.81	7.7	South Africa
1820s	85.95	94.82	8.87	South Africa
1830s	84.7	94.85	10.15	South Africa
1840s	83.32	94.87	11.55	South Africa
1850s	81.83	94.91	13.08	South Africa
1860s	80	93.61	13.61	South Africa
1870s	77.73	92.21	14.48	South Africa
1880s	74.93	88.62	13.69	South Africa
1890s	72.12	86.56	14.44	South Africa
1900s	68.9	82.34	13.44	South Africa
1910s	65	76.88	11.89	South Africa
1920s	56.84	71.34	14.49	South Africa
1930s	47.43	64.11	16.68	South Africa
1940s	37.19	55.46	18.27	South Africa
1950s	33.66	40.49	6.83	South Africa
1960s	26	24.2	1.8	Lesotho
1970s	31.64	29.43	2.21	Lesotho
1980s	35.4	31.17	4.23	Lesotho
1990s	34.74	30.09	4.65	Lesotho
2000s	35.14	32.12	3.02	Lesotho
2010s	34.17	33.55	0.6241	Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of land defined as natural habitat, Lesotho or South Africa?: Lesotho, at 34.17 against 33.55 in South Africa as of 2010.
What is the difference in share of land defined as natural habitat between Lesotho and South Africa?: 0.62, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?: 24 years are reported by both, from 1780 to 2010.
How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for share of land defined as natural habitat?: Lesotho ranks 130th and South Africa ranks 131st of 168 countries.
Where does this data come from?: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of land defined as natural habitat. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator: Share of land defined as natural habitat
Source: Taylor and Rising, and United Nations (2021) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 4,032 data points, 1780–2010
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Natural ecosystems include forest, grassland, savanna, and shrublands, and other classes such as peatlands and marshes. It is total land minus land that is used by humans for agriculture – either croplands or pasture – or for infrastructure and urban environments.