Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho
Lesotho: Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas was 318,237 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 318,237 people for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 39.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho peaked at 883,476 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 318,237 people, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 49th out of 175 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.
Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 883,476 people | — |
| 2001 | 853,047 people | -3.4% |
| 2002 | 821,614 people | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 789,198 people | -3.9% |
| 2004 | 755,601 people | -4.3% |
| 2005 | 721,119 people | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 690,933 people | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 667,589 people | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 645,898 people | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 624,435 people | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 603,128 people | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 582,352 people | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 563,028 people | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 543,893 people | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 524,788 people | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 505,545 people | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 486,237 people | -3.8% |
| 2017 | 466,733 people | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 446,757 people | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 426,243 people | -4.6% |
| 2020 | 405,442 people | -4.9% |
| 2021 | 384,188 people | -5.2% |
| 2022 | 362,390 people | -5.7% |
| 2023 | 340,420 people | -6.1% |
| 2024 | 318,237 people | -6.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 318,237 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 539,517 people, 59% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 318,237 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.16 million people, 28% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 745,291 people | 624,435 people | 883,476 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 514,870 people | 426,243 people | 603,128 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 362,135 people | 318,237 people | 405,442 people | 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 sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho?
- Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas in Lesotho was 318,237 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 sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 883,476 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest sanitation facilities usage in rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 318,237 people in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for sanitation facilities usage in rural areas?
- Lesotho ranks 49th out of 175 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sanitation facilities usage in rural areas rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.4%. 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 Sanitation facilities usage in rural areas. 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
Open defecation includes defecating in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of water or other open spaces, not using any sanitation facilities.