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.
Employment by status in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 53.2% | — |
| 1992 | 53.7% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 54.1% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 54.5% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 54.9% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 55.3% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 55.6% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 55.9% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 56.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 56.5% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 56.8% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 57.1% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 57.4% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 57.7% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 58.1% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 58.4% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 58.8% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 59.2% | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 59.4% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 59.6% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 59.9% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 60.2% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 60.4% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 60.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 60.8% | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 61.0% | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 61.0% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 61.0% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 60.9% | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 60.8% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 61.4% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 61.3% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 61.3% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 61.4% | +0.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 61.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.3%, 1.7× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 61.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 2.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.