What is agricultural land in Lesotho?

Agricultural land in Lesotho was 2.31 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.

What is the highest agricultural land recorded in Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 2.58 million hectares in 1966.

What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 2.29 million hectares in 1983.

How does Lesotho rank for agricultural land?

Lesotho ranks 41st out of 53 countries with data for 2011.

Is agricultural land rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Lesotho data come from?

The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Agricultural land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Agricultural land in Lesotho

Name: Agricultural land in Lesotho
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Lesotho: Agricultural land was 2.31 million hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling

Latest (2011)

2.31 million hectares

Change on year

down 0.6%

World rank

41st

of 53 countries

All-time high

2.58 million hectares

in 1966

All-time low

2.29 million hectares

in 1983

Years of data

1961–2011

Agricultural land in Lesotho, 1961–2011

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 2.31 million hectares for agricultural land in 2011.

The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 0.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, agricultural land in Lesotho peaked at 2.58 million hectares in 1966 and was at its lowest, 2.29 million hectares, in 1983.

That places Lesotho 41st out of 53 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	2.56 million hectares	2.48 million hectares	2.58 million hectares	9
1970s	2.35 million hectares	2.29 million hectares	2.43 million hectares	10
1980s	2.31 million hectares	2.29 million hectares	2.34 million hectares	10
1990s	2.33 million hectares	2.32 million hectares	2.34 million hectares	10
2000s	2.33 million hectares	2.30 million hectares	2.36 million hectares	10
2010s	2.32 million hectares	2.31 million hectares	2.33 million hectares	2

Countries ranked near Lesotho

38 Sierra Leone 3.44 million hectares compare
39 Benin 3.43 million hectares compare
40 Liberia 2.63 million hectares compare
42 Burundi 2.22 million hectares compare
43 Rwanda 1.92 million hectares compare
44 Djibouti 1.70 million hectares compare

See the full ranking of 59 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 166.92 million current US$ (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.5% (2025)
Rural population 1.31 million (2025)
Rural population growth -0.7% (2025)
Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 6.49 (2025)
Agriculture share gdp 6.49 (2025)
Land under cereal production 177,933 hectares (2023)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is agricultural land in Lesotho?: Agricultural land in Lesotho was 2.31 million hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
What is the highest agricultural land recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 2.58 million hectares in 1966.
What is the lowest agricultural land recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 2.29 million hectares in 1983.
How does Lesotho rank for agricultural land?: Lesotho ranks 41st out of 53 countries with data for 2011.
Is agricultural land rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is down 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?: The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site, published as part of Agricultural land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Agricultural land (hectares)
Unit: hectares
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 59 places, 2,977 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded. Land under permanent crops is land cultivated with crops that occupy the land for long periods and need not be replanted after each harvest, such as cocoa, coffee, and rubber. This category includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit trees, nut trees, and vines, but excludes land under trees grown for wood or timber. Permanent pasture is land used for five or more years for forage, including natural and cultivated crops.