Military personnel in Lesotho
Lesotho: Military personnel was 2,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
2,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
154th
of 194 countries
All-time high
2,000 people
in 1981
All-time low
0 people
in 1966
Years of data
57
1966–2022
Military personnel in Lesotho, 1966–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Lesotho is 2,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 57 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Lesotho peaked at 2,000 people in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1966.
That places Lesotho 154th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 57 years of available data.
Military personnel in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 0 people | — |
| 1967 | 0 people | — |
| 1968 | 0 people | — |
| 1969 | 0 people | — |
| 1970 | 0 people | — |
| 1971 | 0 people | — |
| 1972 | 0 people | — |
| 1973 | 0 people | — |
| 1974 | 1,000 people | — |
| 1975 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 2,000 people | +100.0% |
| 1982 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 2,000 people | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15,500 people, 13% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14,000 people, 14% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 4 |
| 1970s | 600 people | 0 people | 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,900 people | 1,000 people | 2,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 2,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 152 Eswatini 3,000 people compare
- 152 Guyana 3,000 people compare
- 154 Bahamas 2,000 people compare
- 154 Belize 2,000 people compare
- 154 East Timor 2,000 people compare
- 154 Liberia 2,000 people compare
- 154 Malta 2,000 people compare
- 154 Montenegro 2,000 people compare
- 154 Suriname 2,000 people 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 military personnel in Lesotho?
- Military personnel in Lesotho was 2,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2,000 people in 1981.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1966.
- How does Lesotho rank for military personnel?
- Lesotho ranks 154th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.