Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho

Lesotho: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 2,107 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
2,107 metric tons
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
120th
of 215 countries
All-time high
2,605 metric tons
in 2020
All-time low
0 metric tons
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho, 1960–2024

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Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.

Analysis

The most recent figure for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho is 2,107 metric tons, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 134.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho peaked at 2,605 metric tons in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.

That places Lesotho 120th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho, 1960 to 2024.
Year metric tons Change
1960 0 metric tons
1961 0 metric tons
1962 0 metric tons
1963 0 metric tons
1964 0 metric tons
1965 0 metric tons
1966 0 metric tons
1967 0 metric tons
1968 0 metric tons
1969 0 metric tons
1970 0 metric tons
1971 0 metric tons
1972 0 metric tons
1973 0 metric tons
1974 10 metric tons
1975 23 metric tons +130.0%
1976 27 metric tons +17.4%
1977 22 metric tons -18.5%
1978 24 metric tons +9.1%
1979 27 metric tons +12.5%
1980 23 metric tons -14.8%
1981 15 metric tons -34.8%
1982 19 metric tons +26.7%
1983 20 metric tons +5.3%
1984 13 metric tons -35.0%
1985 23 metric tons +76.9%
1986 25 metric tons +8.7%
1987 26 metric tons +4.0%
1988 30 metric tons +15.4%
1989 25 metric tons -16.7%
1990 20 metric tons -20.0%
1991 15 metric tons -25.0%
1992 17 metric tons +13.3%
1993 18 metric tons +5.9%
1994 18 metric tons +0.0%
1995 14 metric tons -22.2%
1996 14 metric tons +0.0%
1997 14 metric tons +0.0%
1998 8 metric tons -42.9%
1999 4 metric tons -50.0%
2000 8 metric tons +100.0%
2001 8 metric tons +0.0%
2002 8 metric tons +0.0%
2003 4 metric tons -50.0%
2004 2 metric tons -50.0%
2005 1 metric tons -50.0%
2006 2 metric tons +100.0%
2007 131 metric tons +6450.0%
2008 91 metric tons -30.5%
2009 107.6 metric tons +18.2%
2010 300.4 metric tons +179.2%
2011 300.37 metric tons -0.0%
2012 400.37 metric tons +33.3%
2013 500.43 metric tons +25.0%
2014 900.53 metric tons +80.0%
2015 1,003 metric tons +11.4%
2016 1,052 metric tons +4.9%
2017 1,803 metric tons +71.4%
2018 2,504 metric tons +38.9%
2019 2,553 metric tons +2.0%
2020 2,605 metric tons +2.0%
2021 1,505 metric tons -42.2%
2022 1,837 metric tons +22.1%
2023 2,012 metric tons +9.5%
2024 2,107 metric tons +4.7%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 2,107 metric tons is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,636 metric tons, 22% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 2,107 metric tons is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,824 metric tons, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 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.

YearChange FromTo
2007 +6450.0% 2 metric tons 131 metric tons

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 0 metric tons 0 metric tons 0 metric tons 10
1970s 13.3 metric tons 0 metric tons 27 metric tons 10
1980s 21.9 metric tons 13 metric tons 30 metric tons 10
1990s 14.2 metric tons 4 metric tons 20 metric tons 10
2000s 36.26 metric tons 1 metric tons 131 metric tons 10
2010s 1,132 metric tons 300.37 metric tons 2,553 metric tons 10
2020s 2,013 metric tons 1,505 metric tons 2,605 metric tons 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 117 Slovakia 2,445 metric tons compare
  2. 118 Georgia 2,424 metric tons compare
  3. 119 North Macedonia 2,337 metric tons compare
  4. 121 Senegal 2,074 metric tons compare
  5. 122 Mauritius 1,888 metric tons compare
  6. 123 Guyana 1,809 metric tons compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho?
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho was 2,107 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 2,605 metric tons in 2020.
What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
How does Lesotho rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
Lesotho ranks 120th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 134.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/capture-and-aquaculture-production/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture
Unit
metric tons
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 12,849 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Capture fishery production is the volume of wild fish catches landed for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes.