Employment by status in Lesotho
Lesotho: Employment by status was 61.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Lesotho, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employment by status in Lesotho is 61.4%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Lesotho peaked at 61.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 53.2%, in 1991.
Lesotho ranks 106th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.8% | 53.2% | 56.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 57.9% | 56.5% | 59.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.6% | 59.6% | 61.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.2% | 60.8% | 61.4% | 5 |
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 employment by status in Lesotho?
- Employment by status in Lesotho was 61.4% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 61.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.2% in 1991.
- How does Lesotho rank for employment by status?
- Lesotho ranks 106th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.