Arable land in Lesotho
Lesotho: Arable land was 0.1543 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1543 hectares per person
Change on year
up 30.0%
World rank
79th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4718 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0681 hectares per person
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares per person.
Analysis
In 2023, arable land in Lesotho stood at 0.1543 hectares per person.
That represents a change of up 30.0% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Lesotho peaked at 0.4718 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0681 hectares per person, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 79th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4718 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4515 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 1963 | 0.4383 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1964 | 0.428 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 0.4156 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 0.4082 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.3939 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.385 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 0.3712 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 0.361 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 0.3408 hectares per person | -5.6% |
| 1972 | 0.3245 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.3134 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 0.3028 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 0.3065 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 0.2833 hectares per person | -7.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2233 hectares per person | -21.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2177 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 0.2233 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 0.2076 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2058 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.1932 hectares per person | -6.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1844 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 0.1881 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1871 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 0.1723 hectares per person | -8.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1914 hectares per person | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1948 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.1695 hectares per person | -13.0% |
| 1990 | 0.1752 hectares per person | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1731 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1772 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1735 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.1686 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 0.164 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 0.1633 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1635 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.1627 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.1622 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1647 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1649 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1504 hectares per person | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1511 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.1573 hectares per person | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.1654 hectares per person | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 0.1558 hectares per person | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 0.1664 hectares per person | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 0.182 hectares per person | +9.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1691 hectares per person | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1613 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1529 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1383 hectares per person | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1206 hectares per person | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 0.1309 hectares per person | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 0.1041 hectares per person | -20.5% |
| 2016 | 0.1652 hectares per person | +58.8% |
| 2017 | 0.1944 hectares per person | +17.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1991 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0681 hectares per person | -65.8% |
| 2020 | 0.1545 hectares per person | +127.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0997 hectares per person | -35.5% |
| 2022 | 0.1187 hectares per person | +19.1% |
| 2023 | 0.1543 hectares per person | +30.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.1543 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.1543 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +127.0% | 0.0681 hectares per person | 0.1545 hectares per person |
| 2019 | -65.8% | 0.1991 hectares per person | 0.0681 hectares per person |
| 2016 | +58.8% | 0.1041 hectares per person | 0.1652 hectares per person |
| 2021 | -35.5% | 0.1545 hectares per person | 0.0997 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4182 hectares per person | 0.3712 hectares per person | 0.4718 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2897 hectares per person | 0.2177 hectares per person | 0.361 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1894 hectares per person | 0.1695 hectares per person | 0.2076 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1683 hectares per person | 0.1622 hectares per person | 0.1772 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1627 hectares per person | 0.1504 hectares per person | 0.182 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1435 hectares per person | 0.0681 hectares per person | 0.1991 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1318 hectares per person | 0.0997 hectares per person | 0.1545 hectares per person | 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 arable land in Lesotho?
- Arable land in Lesotho was 0.1543 hectares per person in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4718 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0681 hectares per person in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for arable land?
- Lesotho ranks 79th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (hectares per person). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (hectares per person) 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.