Arable land (hectares) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Arable land (hectares) was 577,000 hectares in 2024. ▲ Rising
Arable land in Lesotho, 1961–2024
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.
Analysis
In 2024, arable land in Lesotho stood at 577,000 hectares. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 111.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Lesotho peaked at 577,000 hectares in 2022 and was at its lowest, 150,400 hectares, in 2019.
That places Lesotho 122nd out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Arable land (hectares) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 358,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 353,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 353,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 355,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 355,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 360,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1967 | 360,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 365,000 hectares | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 365,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 368,000 hectares | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 360,000 hectares | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 355,000 hectares | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 355,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 355,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 372,000 hectares | +4.8% |
| 1976 | 355,000 hectares | -4.6% |
| 1977 | 288,000 hectares | -18.9% |
| 1978 | 289,000 hectares | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 305,000 hectares | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 292,000 hectares | -4.3% |
| 1981 | 298,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 288,000 hectares | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 283,000 hectares | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 297,000 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 304,000 hectares | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 287,000 hectares | -5.6% |
| 1987 | 326,000 hectares | +13.6% |
| 1988 | 339,000 hectares | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 301,000 hectares | -11.2% |
| 1990 | 317,000 hectares | +5.3% |
| 1991 | 319,000 hectares | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 332,000 hectares | +4.1% |
| 1993 | 328,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 324,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 320,000 hectares | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 320,300 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 320,600 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 320,900 hectares | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 321,200 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 321,500 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 321,800 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 322,100 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 322,400 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 322,700 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 323,000 hectares | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 303,000 hectares | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 325,000 hectares | +7.3% |
| 2008 | 358,000 hectares | +10.2% |
| 2009 | 335,000 hectares | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 322,000 hectares | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 308,000 hectares | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 281,300 hectares | -8.7% |
| 2013 | 248,100 hectares | -11.8% |
| 2014 | 272,300 hectares | +9.8% |
| 2015 | 219,000 hectares | -19.6% |
| 2016 | 352,000 hectares | +60.7% |
| 2017 | 419,400 hectares | +19.1% |
| 2018 | 434,700 hectares | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 150,400 hectares | -65.4% |
| 2020 | 345,400 hectares | +129.7% |
| 2021 | 497,000 hectares | +43.9% |
| 2022 | 577,000 hectares | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 577,000 hectares | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 577,000 hectares | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 577,000 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.60 million hectares, 22% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 577,000 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.83 million hectares, 20% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land (hectares) 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 | +129.7% | 150,400 hectares | 345,400 hectares |
| 2019 | -65.4% | 434,700 hectares | 150,400 hectares |
| 2016 | +60.7% | 219,000 hectares | 352,000 hectares |
| 2021 | +43.9% | 345,400 hectares | 497,000 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 358,222 hectares | 353,000 hectares | 365,000 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 340,200 hectares | 288,000 hectares | 372,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 301,500 hectares | 283,000 hectares | 339,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 322,300 hectares | 317,000 hectares | 332,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 325,450 hectares | 303,000 hectares | 358,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 300,720 hectares | 150,400 hectares | 434,700 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 514,680 hectares | 345,400 hectares | 577,000 hectares | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0139 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1831 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0072 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.3524 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Lesotho?
- Arable land in Lesotho was 577,000 hectares in 2024, 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 577,000 hectares in 2022.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 150,400 hectares in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for arable land?
- Lesotho ranks 122nd out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is arable land rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 111.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (in hectares) 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.