Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho

Lesotho: Nitrogen use efficiency was 43.5% in 2014. ▼ Falling

Latest (2014)
43.5%
Change on year
down 11.4%
World rank
113th
of 205 countries
All-time high
103.5%
in 1978
All-time low
21.8%
in 2012
Years of data
54
1961–2014

Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho, 1961–2014

20406080100196119872014

Source: Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho is 43.5%, measured in 2014.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.4% on the previous year and down 5.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho peaked at 103.5% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 21.8%, in 2012.

That places Lesotho 113th out of 205 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.

Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho, 1961 to 2014.
Year % Change
1961 96.4%
1962 89.5% -7.2%
1963 92.8% +3.7%
1964 95.2% +2.6%
1965 82.6% -13.2%
1966 95.3% +15.3%
1967 80.6% -15.5%
1968 83.0% +3.0%
1969 77.5% -6.6%
1970 61.5% -20.6%
1971 67.2% +9.3%
1972 37.7% -43.9%
1973 53.4% +41.6%
1974 85.4% +59.9%
1975 57.1% -33.1%
1976 47.5% -16.9%
1977 94.2% +98.5%
1978 103.5% +9.9%
1979 81.1% -21.7%
1980 63.8% -21.4%
1981 56.8% -10.9%
1982 42.6% -25.0%
1983 42.5% -0.2%
1984 44.7% +5.2%
1985 57.2% +28.0%
1986 45.6% -20.3%
1987 41.7% -8.6%
1988 63.9% +53.2%
1989 60.4% -5.5%
1990 75.4% +25.0%
1991 24.7% -67.3%
1992 31.9% +29.2%
1993 45.0% +41.0%
1994 58.2% +29.4%
1995 25.7% -55.8%
1996 65.0% +152.7%
1997 61.2% -5.8%
1998 55.1% -10.0%
1999 44.0% -20.1%
2000 33.5% -23.9%
2001 44.5% +32.9%
2002 55.7% +25.1%
2003 47.2% -15.3%
2004 45.9% -2.7%
2005 40.5% -11.7%
2006 36.7% -9.5%
2007 28.3% -22.8%
2008 31.4% +10.9%
2009 31.8% +1.2%
2010 65.1% +104.7%
2011 44.8% -31.2%
2012 21.8% -51.4%
2013 49.1% +125.4%
2014 43.5% -11.4%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 43.5% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.2%, 79% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 43.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.2%, 70% of the median. (45 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Nitrogen use efficiency 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
1996 +152.7% 25.7% 65.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 88.1% 77.5% 96.4% 9
1970s 68.9% 37.7% 103.5% 10
1980s 51.9% 41.7% 63.9% 10
1990s 48.6% 24.7% 75.4% 10
2000s 39.6% 28.3% 55.7% 10
2010s 44.8% 21.8% 65.1% 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 110 Guatemala 44.5% compare
  2. 111 Nauru 44.3% compare
  3. 112 Nepal 43.6% compare
  4. 114 Belarus 43.4% compare
  5. 115 Senegal 41.9% compare
  6. 116 North Korea 41.8% compare

See the full ranking of 205 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho?
Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho was 43.5% in 2014, according to Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 103.5% in 1978.
What is the lowest nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 21.8% in 2012.
How does Lesotho rank for nitrogen use efficiency?
Lesotho ranks 113th out of 205 countries with data for 2014.
Is nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrogen use efficiency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/nitrogen-use-efficiency/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Nitrogen use efficiency
Unit
%
Source
Lassaletta et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
205 places, 10,031 data points, 1961–2014
Last refreshed

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is the ratio between nitrogen inputs and output. A NUE of 40% means that only 40% of nitrogen inputs are converted into nitrogen in the form of crops.