What is democracy in Lesotho?

Democracy in Lesotho was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest democracy recorded in Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 2 in 1998.

What is the lowest democracy recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1973.

How does Lesotho rank for democracy?

Lesotho ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.

Is democracy rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Lesotho data come from?

The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Democracy in Lesotho

Name: Democracy in Lesotho
Creator: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Lesotho: Democracy was 2 in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

1st

of 168 countries

All-time high

in 1998

All-time low

in 1973

Years of data

1966–2018

Democracy in Lesotho, 1966–2018

Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 2 for democracy in 2018. That is the highest value across all 53 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, democracy in Lesotho peaked at 2 in 1998 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1973.

Lesotho ranks 1st of 168 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Democracy in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Democracy in Lesotho, 1966 to 2018.
Year	Value	Change
1966	1	—
1967	1	+0.0%
1968	1	+0.0%
1969	1	+0.0%
1970	1	+0.0%
1971	1	+0.0%
1972	1	+0.0%
1973	0	-100.0%
1974	0	—
1975	0	—
1976	0	—
1977	0	—
1978	0	—
1979	0	—
1980	0	—
1981	0	—
1982	0	—
1983	0	—
1984	0	—
1985	0	—
1986	0	—
1987	0	—
1988	0	—
1989	0	—
1990	0	—
1991	1	—
1992	1	+0.0%
1993	1	+0.0%
1994	1	+0.0%
1995	1	+0.0%
1996	1	+0.0%
1997	1	+0.0%
1998	2	+100.0%
1999	2	+0.0%
2000	2	+0.0%
2001	2	+0.0%
2002	2	+0.0%
2003	2	+0.0%
2004	2	+0.0%
2005	2	+0.0%
2006	2	+0.0%
2007	2	+0.0%
2008	2	+0.0%
2009	2	+0.0%
2010	2	+0.0%
2011	2	+0.0%
2012	2	+0.0%
2013	2	+0.0%
2014	2	+0.0%
2015	2	+0.0%
2016	2	+0.0%
2017	2	+0.0%
2018	2	+0.0%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

Lesotho's 2 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Lesotho's 2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	1	1	1	4
1970s	0.3	0	1	10
1980s	0	0	0	10
1990s	1.1	0	2	10
2000s	2	2	2	10
2010s	2	2	2	9

Countries ranked near Lesotho

See the full ranking of 168 places →

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)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is democracy in Lesotho?: Democracy in Lesotho was 2 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest democracy recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 2 in 1998.
What is the lowest democracy recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1973.
How does Lesotho rank for democracy?: Lesotho ranks 1st out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
Is democracy rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?: The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Democracy in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/political-regime-polity/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator: Democracy
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 168 places, 18,392 data points, 1776–2020
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Identifies the political regime of a country using the Polity 5 data by the Center for Systemic Peace. It distinguishes between autocracies (score 0), anocracies (score 1), and democracies (score 2).