Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho
Lesotho: Industry jobs as a share of total employment was 33.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho is 33.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho peaked at 34.4% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 13.8%, in 1991.
That places Lesotho 9th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 13.8% | — |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 14.5% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 15.0% | +3.4% |
| 1995 | 15.3% | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 15.9% | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 17.0% | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 17.4% | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 18.4% | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 19.2% | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 20.9% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 21.6% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 22.7% | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 23.9% | +5.4% |
| 2007 | 25.0% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 26.3% | +5.2% |
| 2009 | 26.5% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 27.8% | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 29.0% | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 30.4% | +4.8% |
| 2013 | 31.0% | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 31.8% | +2.6% |
| 2015 | 32.7% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 33.5% | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 33.3% | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 33.5% | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 34.4% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 33.3% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 33.0% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 33.1% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 33.0% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 33.1% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 33.0% | -0.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 33.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 17.8%, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 33.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 2.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.5% | 13.8% | 17.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 18.4% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.7% | 27.8% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.1% | 33.0% | 33.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho?
- Industry jobs as a share of total employment in Lesotho was 33.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 34.4% in 2019.
- What is the lowest industry jobs as a share of total employment recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.8% in 1991.
- How does Lesotho rank for industry jobs as a share of total employment?
- Lesotho ranks 9th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is industry jobs as a share of total employment rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Industry jobs as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of total employment working in the industry sector.