Arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho
Lesotho: Arable and permanent cropland was 312,000 hectares in 2011. ▼ Falling
Arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho, 1961–2011
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2011, arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho stood at 312,000 hectares.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho peaked at 376,000 hectares in 1975 and was at its lowest, 287,000 hectares, in 1983.
Lesotho ranks 44th of 52 countries on this measure, 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 | 361,222 hectares | 356,000 hectares | 368,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 344,200 hectares | 292,000 hectares | 376,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 305,500 hectares | 287,000 hectares | 343,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 328,000 hectares | 321,000 hectares | 336,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 325,400 hectares | 304,000 hectares | 362,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 319,000 hectares | 312,000 hectares | 326,000 hectares | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 41 Gabon 495,000 hectares compare
- 42 Mauritania 461,000 hectares compare
- 43 Gambia, The 455,000 hectares compare
- 45 Botswana 261,000 hectares compare
- 46 Equatorial Guinea 200,000 hectares compare
- 47 Eswatini 190,000 hectares compare
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)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 177,933 hectares (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho?
- Arable and permanent cropland in Lesotho was 312,000 hectares in 2011, according to Food and Agriculture Organization, electronic files and web site.
- What is the highest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 376,000 hectares in 1975.
- What is the lowest arable and permanent cropland recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 287,000 hectares in 1983.
- How does Lesotho rank for arable and permanent cropland?
- Lesotho ranks 44th out of 52 countries with data for 2011.
- Is arable and permanent cropland rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. 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 Arable and permanent cropland (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
This land category is the sum of areas under “Arable land” and "Permanent crops”. 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