Agricultural land use in Lesotho
Lesotho: Agricultural land use was 2.36 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.36 million hectares
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
114th
of 227 countries
All-time high
2.58 million hectares
in 1966
All-time low
2.15 million hectares
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use in Lesotho is 2.36 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Lesotho peaked at 2.58 million hectares in 1966 and was at its lowest, 2.15 million hectares, in 2019.
That places Lesotho 114th out of 227 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Agricultural land use in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.58 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 2.58 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 2.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2.58 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 2.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 2.58 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 2.58 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 2.53 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 2.48 million hectares | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 2.43 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 2.36 million hectares | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 2.36 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 2.36 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 2.36 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 2.38 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 2.36 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 2.29 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 2.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 2.30 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 2.29 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 2.29 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 2.29 million hectares | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 2.33 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 2.34 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 2.31 million hectares | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 2.32 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 2.34 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 2.33 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 2.33 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 2.32 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.30 million hectares | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 2.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 2.31 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 2.33 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.31 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 2.33 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 2.36 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 2.34 million hectares | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 2.33 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 2.31 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 2.29 million hectares | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 2.25 million hectares | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 2.28 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 2.22 million hectares | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 2.36 million hectares | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 2.42 million hectares | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 2.43 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.15 million hectares | -11.5% |
| 2020 | 2.35 million hectares | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 2.23 million hectares | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 2.28 million hectares | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 2.36 million hectares | +3.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.36 million hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9.40 million hectares, 25% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.36 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.51 million hectares, 17% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
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 | 2.30 million hectares | 2.15 million hectares | 2.43 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.30 million hectares | 2.23 million hectares | 2.36 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 in Lesotho?
- Agricultural land use in Lesotho was 2.36 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land use recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.58 million hectares in 1966.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.15 million hectares in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for agricultural land use?
- Lesotho ranks 114th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.