People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho

Lesotho: People not using safely managed sanitation facilities was 1.31 million people in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.31 million people
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
83rd
of 150 countries
All-time high
1.75 million people
in 2000
All-time low
1.31 million people
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho, 2000–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2000201220242000: 1.7M people2001: 1.7M people2002: 1.7M people2003: 1.6M people2004: 1.6M people2005: 1.6M people2006: 1.5M people2007: 1.5M people2008: 1.5M people2009: 1.5M people2010: 1.5M people2011: 1.4M people2012: 1.4M people2013: 1.4M people2014: 1.4M people2015: 1.4M people2016: 1.4M people2017: 1.4M people2018: 1.4M people2019: 1.4M people2020: 1.3M people2021: 1.3M people2022: 1.3M people2023: 1.3M people2024: 1.3M people

Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

In 2024, people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho stood at 1.31 million people. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho peaked at 1.75 million people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.31 million people, in 2024.

That places Lesotho 83rd out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 1.59 million people 1.47 million people 1.75 million people 10
2010s 1.40 million people 1.35 million people 1.45 million people 10
2020s 1.33 million people 1.31 million people 1.35 million people 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 80 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.47 million people compare
  2. 81 Palestine 1.46 million people compare
  3. 82 Georgia 1.41 million people compare
  4. 84 Norway 1.23 million people compare
  5. 85 Australia 1.13 million people compare
  6. 86 Mongolia 1.04 million people compare

See the full ranking of 150 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho?
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities in Lesotho was 1.31 million people 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 people not using safely managed sanitation facilities recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 1.75 million people in 2000.
What is the lowest people not using safely managed sanitation facilities recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 1.31 million people in 2024.
How does Lesotho rank for people not using safely managed sanitation facilities?
Lesotho ranks 83rd out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
Is people not using safely managed sanitation facilities rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 People not using safely managed sanitation facilities. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
People not using safely managed sanitation facilities
Unit
people
Source
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
150 places, 3,667 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

People not using safely managed sanitation services might practice open defecation, use unimproved sanitation facilities, or use improved facilities that do not safely manage human waste.