Unemployment rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Unemployment rate was 16.32 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
16.32
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
14th
of 186 countries
All-time high
18.39
in 2020
All-time low
15.45
in 1992
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 16.32 for unemployment rate in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Lesotho peaked at 18.39 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 15.45, in 1992.
That places Lesotho 14th 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 in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15.49 | — |
| 1992 | 15.45 | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 15.57 | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 15.62 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 15.8 | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 15.71 | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 15.82 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 15.91 | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 16.17 | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 16.17 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 16.08 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 16.08 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 16.06 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 16.15 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 16.03 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 16.05 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 15.94 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 15.85 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 16.11 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 16.07 | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 16.11 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 15.76 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 15.93 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 16.07 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 16.22 | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 16.14 | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 16.38 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 16.61 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 16.88 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 18.39 | +8.9% |
| 2021 | 18.21 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 16.62 | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 16.35 | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 16.34 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 16.32 | -0.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 16.32 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.06, 3.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 16.32 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.45, 3.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 15.73 | 15.45 | 16.17 | 9 |
| 2000s | 16.05 | 15.85 | 16.17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.22 | 15.76 | 16.88 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.04 | 16.32 | 18.39 | 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 in Lesotho?
- Unemployment rate in Lesotho was 16.32 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 18.39 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.45 in 1992.
- How does Lesotho rank for unemployment rate?
- Lesotho ranks 14th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. 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. 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).