Civil liberties rating in Lesotho
Lesotho: Civil liberties rating was 3 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
97th
of 199 countries
All-time high
6
in 1987
All-time low
3
in 1973
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in Lesotho, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 3 for civil liberties rating in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 53 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Lesotho peaked at 6 in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1973.
Lesotho ranks 97th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 4 | — |
| 1973 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1974 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1975 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1979 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5 | -16.7% |
| 1990 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1992 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2003 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 3 | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 3 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 60% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 3 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 4.12 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.22 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 97 Albania 3 compare
- 97 Benin 3 compare
- 97 Bhutan 3 compare
- 97 Bolivia 3 compare
- 97 Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 compare
- 97 Brazil 3 compare
- 97 Colombia 3 compare
- 97 Dominican Republic 3 compare
- 97 East Timor 3 compare
- 97 Ecuador 3 compare
- 97 Hungary 3 compare
- 97 Israel 3 compare
- 97 Malawi 3 compare
- 97 Moldova 3 compare
- 97 Montenegro 3 compare
- 97 Nauru 3 compare
- 97 North Macedonia 3 compare
- 97 Papua New Guinea 3 compare
- 97 Paraguay 3 compare
- 97 Peru 3 compare
- 97 Senegal 3 compare
- 97 Serbia 3 compare
- 97 Sierra Leone 3 compare
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Lesotho?
- Civil liberties rating in Lesotho was 3 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 1987.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1973.
- How does Lesotho rank for civil liberties rating?
- Lesotho ranks 97th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil liberties rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.