Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of land area that is protected was 23.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho, 2013–2025
Source: Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of land area that is protected in Lesotho is 23.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7,700.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area that is protected in Lesotho peaked at 23.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 2013.
That places Lesotho 62nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 0.2% | — |
| 2014 | 0.3% | +50.0% |
| 2015 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | +66.7% |
| 2021 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.5% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 21.3% | +4160.0% |
| 2024 | 23.4% | +9.9% |
| 2025 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 23.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.8%, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 23.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 7 |
| 2020s | 11.6% | 0.5% | 23.4% | 6 |
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 land area that is protected in Lesotho?
- Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho was 23.4% in 2025, according to Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area that is protected recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of land area that is protected recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 2013.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of land area that is protected?
- Lesotho ranks 62nd out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of land area that is protected rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7,700.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area that is protected. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Terrestrial protected areas are areas of at least 1,000 hectares that are designated by national authorities in order to preserve their ecosystem services and cultural values.