Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho
Lesotho: Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas was 27.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho, 2008–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho stood at 27.8%. That is the highest value across all 17 years on record.
The figure is up 8.5% on the previous year and up 369.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho peaked at 27.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 2008.
That places Lesotho 98th out of 113 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 1.5% | — |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +141.9% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | +58.7% |
| 2015 | 8.1% | +37.0% |
| 2016 | 10.3% | +27.0% |
| 2017 | 12.5% | +21.3% |
| 2018 | 14.7% | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | +14.9% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | +13.0% |
| 2021 | 21.3% | +11.5% |
| 2022 | 23.4% | +10.3% |
| 2023 | 25.6% | +9.3% |
| 2024 | 27.8% | +8.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 27.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 62.4%, 45% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 27.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 33.3%, 84% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +141.9% | 1.5% | 3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 7.7% | 1.5% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.4% | 19.1% | 27.8% | 5 |
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 access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho?
- Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas in Lesotho was 27.8% in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 27.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas?
- Lesotho ranks 98th out of 113 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 369.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Access to basic handwashing facilities in urban vs. rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of people with access to a handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.