Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) was 41.4% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Access to electricity, rural in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
In 2024, access to electricity, rural in Lesotho stood at 41.4%.
The figure is down 8.4% on the previous year and up 165.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity, rural in Lesotho peaked at 45.2% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 2004.
That places Lesotho 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.0% | — |
| 2004 | 1.4% | -30.0% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | +164.3% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -29.7% |
| 2007 | 6.9% | +165.4% |
| 2008 | 8.6% | +24.6% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4.4% | -48.8% |
| 2011 | 10.8% | +145.5% |
| 2012 | 7.2% | -33.3% |
| 2013 | 14.8% | +105.6% |
| 2014 | 15.6% | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 19.7% | +26.3% |
| 2016 | 23.3% | +18.3% |
| 2017 | 20.2% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 32.6% | +61.4% |
| 2020 | 35.2% | +8.0% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 38.0% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 45.2% | +18.9% |
| 2024 | 41.4% | -8.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 41.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 81.1%, 51% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 41.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 40.2%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 4.8% | 1.4% | 8.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 16.5% | 4.4% | 32.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 39.5% | 35.2% | 45.2% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0139 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1831 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0072 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.3524 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity, rural in Lesotho?
- Access to electricity, rural in Lesotho was 41.4% in 2024, according to SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest access to electricity, rural recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 45.2% in 2023.
- What is the lowest access to electricity, rural recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 2004.
- How does Lesotho rank for access to electricity, rural?
- Lesotho ranks 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is access to electricity, rural rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 165.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from SDG 7.1.1 Electrification Dataset, World Bank (WB), published as part of Access to electricity, rural (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity, rural is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.