Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) was 66.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho stood at 66.4%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho peaked at 66.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 56.2%, in 1991.
That places Lesotho 99th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 56.2% | — |
| 1992 | 56.6% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 57.0% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 57.4% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 57.8% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 58.2% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 58.5% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 58.9% | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 59.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 59.5% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 59.9% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 60.2% | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 60.5% | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 60.8% | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 61.2% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 61.6% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 61.9% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 62.3% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 62.5% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 62.7% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 63.1% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 63.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 63.7% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 64.0% | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 64.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 64.6% | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 64.9% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 65.1% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 65.3% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 65.3% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 66.0% | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 65.8% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 65.9% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 66.1% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 66.4% | +0.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 66.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 27.4%, 2.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 66.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19.1%, 3.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 57.8% | 56.2% | 59.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 61.0% | 59.5% | 62.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 64.1% | 62.7% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 65.9% | 65.3% | 66.4% | 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 wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho?
- Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) in Lesotho was 66.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 66.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.2% in 1991.
- How does Lesotho rank for wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment)?
- Lesotho ranks 99th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, female (% of female employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.