Employment to population ratio in Lesotho
Lesotho: Employment to population ratio was 47.8 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
47.8
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
152nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
62.26
in 1992
All-time low
46.45
in 2021
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Employment to population ratio in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, employment to population ratio in Lesotho stood at 47.8.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment to population ratio in Lesotho peaked at 62.26 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 46.45, in 2021.
That places Lesotho 152nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment to population ratio in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 62.25 | — |
| 1992 | 62.26 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 62.13 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 62.03 | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 61.82 | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 61.81 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | 61.63 | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 61.44 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 61.13 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 60.7 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 60.33 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 59.89 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 59.46 | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 58.94 | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 58.58 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 58.1 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 57.72 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 57.31 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 56.66 | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 56.21 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 55.7 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 55.45 | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 54.85 | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 53.73 | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 52.59 | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 51.59 | -1.9% |
| 2017 | 50.38 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 49.16 | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 47.92 | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 46.61 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 46.45 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 47.94 | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 48.07 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 48.04 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 47.8 | -0.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 47.8 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 54.36, 88% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 47.8 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 58.81, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 61.83 | 61.13 | 62.26 | 9 |
| 2000s | 58.77 | 56.66 | 60.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 52.76 | 47.92 | 56.21 | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.48 | 46.45 | 48.07 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More work & labour data for Lesotho
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1902 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1964 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1849 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.293 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,485 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,719 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,674 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,586 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,259 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment to population ratio in Lesotho?
- Employment to population ratio in Lesotho was 47.8 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment to population ratio recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 62.26 in 1992.
- What is the lowest employment to population ratio recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.45 in 2021.
- How does Lesotho rank for employment to population ratio?
- Lesotho ranks 152nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment to population ratio rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Employment to population ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).