Unemployment rate women in Lesotho
Lesotho: Unemployment rate women was 18.45 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.45
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
17th
of 186 countries
All-time high
20.59
in 2020
All-time low
17.4
in 1992
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate women in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for unemployment rate women in Lesotho is 18.45, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate women in Lesotho peaked at 20.59 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 17.4, in 1992.
That places Lesotho 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate women in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 17.45 | — |
| 1992 | 17.4 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 17.52 | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 17.58 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 17.77 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 17.66 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 17.78 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 17.87 | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 18.14 | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 18.15 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 18.06 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 18.07 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 18.05 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 18.16 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 18.03 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 18.07 | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 17.95 | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 17.86 | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 18.16 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 18.11 | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 18.17 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 17.79 | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 17.98 | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 18.14 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 18.33 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 18.25 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 18.52 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 18.8 | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 19.1 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 20.59 | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 20.41 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 18.89 | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 18.58 | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 18.57 | -0.1% |
| 2025 | 18.45 | -0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 18.45 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.5, 3.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 18.45 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.12, 3.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.68 | 17.4 | 18.14 | 9 |
| 2000s | 18.06 | 17.86 | 18.16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.32 | 17.79 | 19.1 | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.25 | 18.45 | 20.59 | 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 women in Lesotho?
- Unemployment rate women in Lesotho was 18.45 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate women recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 20.59 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate women recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.4 in 1992.
- How does Lesotho rank for unemployment rate women?
- Lesotho ranks 17th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate women rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.7%. 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 women. 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).