Share of adults who are obese in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of adults who are obese was 20.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of adults who are obese in Lesotho stood at 20.2%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Lesotho peaked at 20.2% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1980.
That places Lesotho 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5.7% | — |
| 1981 | 5.8% | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 5.9% | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 6.0% | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 6.2% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 6.3% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 6.5% | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | +2.9% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 7.1% | +2.8% |
| 1990 | 7.3% | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 7.5% | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 7.7% | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 7.9% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 8.1% | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 8.4% | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 8.6% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +3.2% |
| 1998 | 9.2% | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 9.5% | +3.4% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | +3.4% |
| 2001 | 10.2% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 10.5% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 10.8% | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 11.2% | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 11.5% | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 11.8% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 12.1% | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 12.4% | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 12.7% | +2.6% |
| 2010 | 13.1% | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 13.9% | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 14.3% | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 14.8% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 15.3% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 15.8% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 16.4% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 17.5% | +3.3% |
| 2020 | 18.0% | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 18.5% | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 19.1% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 19.7% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 20.2% | +2.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 20.2% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.6%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 20.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.6%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.3% | 5.7% | 7.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.3% | 7.3% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.3% | 9.8% | 12.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 13.1% | 17.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 18.0% | 20.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 123 Luxembourg 20.9% compare
- 124 Norway 20.7% compare
- 125 Montenegro 20.6% compare
- 127 Andorra 19.5% compare
- 128 Spain 18.9% compare
- 129 Equatorial Guinea 18.8% compare
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 adults who are obese in Lesotho?
- Share of adults who are obese in Lesotho was 20.2% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who are obese recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 20.2% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1980.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Lesotho ranks 126th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.