Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 32.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho stood at 32.6%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho peaked at 41.0% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 32.6%, in 2025.
That places Lesotho 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 39.3% | 37.8% | 41.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 36.0% | 34.7% | 37.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.6% | 33.1% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 32.6% | 33.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More work & labour data for Lesotho
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 0 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 57.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.9% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 71.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 48.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 59.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 68.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 50.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Lesotho was 32.6% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 41.0% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.6% in 2025.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Lesotho ranks 86th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. 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).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).