Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 24.7 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Lesotho, 2018–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 24.7 percent for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.
That places Lesotho 14th out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 27 percent | — |
| 2019 | 26.8 percent | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 26.4 percent | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 25.8 percent | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 25.3 percent | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 24.7 percent | -2.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 24.7 percent is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.1 percent, 2.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 24.7 percent is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.4 percent, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 26.9 percent | 26.8 percent | 27 percent | 2 |
| 2020s | 25.55 percent | 24.7 percent | 26.4 percent | 4 |
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 share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Lesotho?
- Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Lesotho was 24.7 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 27 percent in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.7 percent in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
- Lesotho ranks 14th out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.