Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho

Lesotho: Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco was 28.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
28.0%
World rank
38th
of 170 countries
All-time high
28.0%
in 2024
All-time low
26.4%
in 2000
Years of data
7
2000–2024

Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho, 2000–2024

01020302000201220242000: 26.4 %2005: 26.4 %2010: 26.6 %2015: 27.1 %2020: 27.6 %2022: 24.3 %2024: 28 %

Source: World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2024, share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho stood at 28.0%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho peaked at 28.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 26.4%, in 2000.

That places Lesotho 38th out of 170 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho, 2000 to 2024.
Year % Change
2000 26.4%
2005 26.4% +0.0%
2010 26.6% +0.8%
2015 27.1% +1.9%
2020 27.6% +1.8%
2022 24.3% -12.0%
2024 28.0% +15.2%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 28.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 15.2%, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 28.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.0%, 2.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 26.4% 26.4% 26.4% 2
2010s 26.9% 26.6% 27.1% 2
2020s 26.6% 24.3% 28.0% 3

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 35 Portugal 28.6% compare
  2. 36 Cook Islands 28.4% compare
  3. 36 Czechia 28.4% compare
  4. 39 Spain 27.6% compare
  5. 40 Russia 27.0% compare
  6. 41 Chile 26.7% compare

See the full ranking of 170 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho?
Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho was 28.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 28.0% in 2024.
What is the lowest share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 26.4% in 2000.
How does Lesotho rank for share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco?
Lesotho ranks 38th out of 170 countries with data for 2024.
Is share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-tobacco-use-sdgs/lesotho/

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<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/prevalence-of-tobacco-use-sdgs/lesotho/">Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco in Lesotho</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of adults who smoke or use other tobacco
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 1,020 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older, by sex (%).