Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho

Lesotho: Share of land area that is protected was 23.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
23.4%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
62nd
of 213 countries
All-time high
23.4%
in 2024
All-time low
0.2%
in 2013
Years of data
13
2013–2025

Share of land area that is protected in Lesotho, 2013–2025

05101520252013201920252013: 0.2 % of total land area2014: 0.3 % of total land area2015: 0.3 % of total land area2016: 0.3 % of total land area2017: 0.3 % of total land area2018: 0.3 % of total land area2019: 0.3 % of total land area2020: 0.5 % of total land area2021: 0.5 % of total land area2022: 0.5 % of total land area2023: 21.3 % of total land area2024: 23.4 % of total land area2025: 23.4 % of total land area

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 7
2020s 11.6% 0.5% 23.4% 6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 59 Ecuador 23.8% compare
  2. 60 Albania 23.6% compare
  3. 60 Nepal 23.6% compare
  4. 63 Malawi 23.1% compare
  5. 64 Honduras 23.0% compare
  6. 64 Portugal 23.0% compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

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

Indicator
Share of land area that is protected
Unit
% of total land area
Source
Protected Planet WDPA and WD-OECM data, UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
213 places, 2,746 data points, 2013–2025
Last refreshed

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.