Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Self-employed, female (% of female employment) was 33.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 33.6% for self-employed, female (% of female employment) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho peaked at 43.8% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 33.6%, in 2025.
Lesotho ranks 89th of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 43.8% | — |
| 1992 | 43.4% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 43.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 42.6% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 42.2% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 41.8% | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 41.5% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 41.1% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 40.8% | -0.8% |
| 2000 | 40.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 40.1% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 39.8% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 39.5% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 39.2% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 38.8% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 38.4% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 38.1% | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 37.7% | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 37.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 37.3% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 36.9% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 36.6% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 36.3% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 36.0% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 35.7% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 35.4% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 35.1% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 34.9% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 34.7% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 34.7% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 34.0% | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 34.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 34.1% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 33.9% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 33.6% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.2% | 40.8% | 43.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 39.0% | 37.5% | 40.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.9% | 34.7% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.1% | 33.6% | 34.7% | 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 self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho?
- Self-employed, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho was 33.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 43.8% in 1991.
- What is the lowest self-employed, female (% of female employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.6% in 2025.
- How does Lesotho rank for self-employed, female (% of female employment)?
- Lesotho ranks 89th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is self-employed, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Self-employed, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Self-employed workers are those workers who, working on their own account or with one or a few partners or in cooperative, hold the type of jobs defined as a "self-employment jobs." i.e. jobs where the remuneration is directly dependent upon the profits derived from the goods and services produced. Self-employed workers include sub-categories of employers, own-account workers and members of producers' cooperatives and contributing family workers.