Unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho
Lesotho: Unemployment rate for young people was 24.67 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
24.67
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
32nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
28.22
in 2020
All-time low
21.58
in 1992
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho stood at 24.67.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and up 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho peaked at 28.22 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.58, in 1992.
Lesotho ranks 32nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 21.64 | — |
| 1992 | 21.58 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 21.71 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 21.77 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 21.97 | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 21.85 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 21.98 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 22.1 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 22.42 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 22.44 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 22.36 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 22.38 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 22.39 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 22.55 | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 22.47 | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 22.56 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 22.5 | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 22.48 | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 22.92 | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 22.99 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 23.2 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 22.92 | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 23.29 | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 23.64 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 24 | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 24.05 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 24.48 | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 24.89 | +1.7% |
| 2019 | 25.32 | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 28.22 | +11.5% |
| 2021 | 27.19 | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 25.06 | -7.8% |
| 2023 | 24.74 | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 24.74 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 24.67 | -0.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 24.67 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.12, 2.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 24.67 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 8.79, 2.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 21.89 | 21.58 | 22.42 | 9 |
| 2000s | 22.5 | 22.36 | 22.92 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.88 | 22.92 | 25.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.77 | 24.67 | 28.22 | 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 unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho?
- Unemployment rate for young people in Lesotho was 24.67 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 28.22 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate for young people recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.58 in 1992.
- How does Lesotho rank for unemployment rate for young people?
- Lesotho ranks 32nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate for young people rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate for young people. 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).