Labor participation rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Labor participation rate was 57.12 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
57.12
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
128th
of 186 countries
All-time high
73.67
in 1990
All-time low
56.8
in 2021
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Lesotho, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, labor participation rate in Lesotho stood at 57.12.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Lesotho peaked at 73.67 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 56.8, in 2021.
Lesotho ranks 128th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 73.67 | — |
| 1991 | 73.67 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 73.64 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 73.59 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 73.51 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 73.42 | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 73.33 | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 73.21 | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 73.07 | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 72.92 | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 72.41 | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 71.89 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 71.37 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 70.84 | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 70.3 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 69.76 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 69.21 | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 68.66 | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 68.1 | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 67.54 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 66.97 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 66.4 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 65.82 | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 65.24 | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 64.02 | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 62.78 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 61.52 | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 60.24 | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 58.95 | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 57.66 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 57.11 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 56.8 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 57.5 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 57.46 | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 57.42 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 57.12 | -0.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 57.12 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.67, 99% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 57.12 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.31, 89% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 73.4 | 72.92 | 73.67 | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.01 | 67.54 | 72.41 | 10 |
| 2010s | 62.96 | 57.66 | 66.97 | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.23 | 56.8 | 57.5 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 125 Spain 57.41 compare
- 126 Kyrgyzstan 57.37 compare
- 127 Fiji 57.16 compare
- 129 Cape Verde 57.02 compare
- 130 Honduras 56.56 compare
- 131 New Caledonia 56.42 compare
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 labor participation rate in Lesotho?
- Labor participation rate in Lesotho was 57.12 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 73.67 in 1990.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.8 in 2021.
- How does Lesotho rank for labor participation rate?
- Lesotho ranks 128th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. 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 Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).