Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho
Lesotho: Agricultural land use, per square kilometre was 77.76 hectares per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
77.76 hectares per square kilometre
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
8th
of 209 countries
All-time high
85.08 hectares per square kilometre
in 1966
All-time low
70.96 hectares per square kilometre
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in hectares per square kilometre.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 77.76 hectares per square kilometre for agricultural land use, per square kilometre in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho peaked at 85.08 hectares per square kilometre in 1966 and was at its lowest, 70.96 hectares per square kilometre, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 8th of 209 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 85.01 hectares per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 84.85 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 84.85 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 84.91 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 84.91 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 85.08 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 85.08 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 83.43 hectares per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 81.62 hectares per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 79.94 hectares per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 77.87 hectares per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 77.7 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 77.7 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 77.7 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 78.26 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 77.7 hectares per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 75.49 hectares per square kilometre | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 75.53 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 76.05 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 75.63 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 75.82 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 75.49 hectares per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 75.33 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 75.79 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 76.02 hectares per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 75.46 hectares per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 76.75 hectares per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 77.17 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 75.92 hectares per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 76.45 hectares per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.52 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 76.94 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.88 hectares per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.71 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 76.55 hectares per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.61 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 76.71 hectares per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 76.71 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 76.71 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 76.88 hectares per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 76.88 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 75.89 hectares per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 75.89 hectares per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 76.22 hectares per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 76.65 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 75.99 hectares per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 76.71 hectares per square kilometre | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 77.8 hectares per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 77.04 hectares per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 76.61 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 76.15 hectares per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 75.27 hectares per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 74.18 hectares per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 74.98 hectares per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 73.22 hectares per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 77.6 hectares per square kilometre | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 79.64 hectares per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 80.15 hectares per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 70.96 hectares per square kilometre | -11.5% |
| 2020 | 77.38 hectares per square kilometre | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 73.43 hectares per square kilometre | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 74.95 hectares per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 77.76 hectares per square kilometre | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84.42 hectares per square kilometre | 81.62 hectares per square kilometre | 85.08 hectares per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 77.39 hectares per square kilometre | 75.49 hectares per square kilometre | 79.94 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.94 hectares per square kilometre | 75.33 hectares per square kilometre | 77.17 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.68 hectares per square kilometre | 76.45 hectares per square kilometre | 76.94 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.59 hectares per square kilometre | 75.89 hectares per square kilometre | 77.8 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.88 hectares per square kilometre | 70.96 hectares per square kilometre | 80.15 hectares per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.88 hectares per square kilometre | 73.43 hectares per square kilometre | 77.76 hectares per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 5 Saudi Arabia 80.77 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 6 South Africa 79.42 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 7 Kazakhstan 79.37 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 9 Rwanda 76.33 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 10 Nigeria 76.2 hectares per square kilometre compare
- 11 Moldova 74.1 hectares per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho?
- Agricultural land use, per square kilometre in Lesotho was 77.76 hectares per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 85.08 hectares per square kilometre in 1966.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use, per square kilometre recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 70.96 hectares per square kilometre in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for agricultural land use, per square kilometre?
- Lesotho ranks 8th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use, per square kilometre rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Agricultural land use, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Agricultural land use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Agricultural land use ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Agricultural land use Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Agricultural land use divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.