Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel was 316,000 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
316,000 tonnes
Change on year
up 5.3%
World rank
145th
of 192 countries
All-time high
467,000 tonnes
in 2008
All-time low
164,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho is 316,000 tonnes, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.3% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho peaked at 467,000 tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 164,000 tonnes, in 1961.
Lesotho ranks 145th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 164,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 168,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 180,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1964 | 178,000 tonnes | -1.1% |
| 1965 | 184,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1966 | 187,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 189,000 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 193,000 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 198,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 204,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1971 | 213,000 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 209,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 205,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 220,000 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1975 | 216,000 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 231,000 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 245,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1978 | 258,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 255,000 tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1980 | 255,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 268,000 tonnes | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 262,000 tonnes | -2.2% |
| 1983 | 280,000 tonnes | +6.9% |
| 1984 | 281,000 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 306,000 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 1986 | 310,000 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 307,000 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 311,000 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 321,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 330,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 355,000 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1992 | 362,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 370,000 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1994 | 381,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1995 | 366,000 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 382,000 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 395,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 406,000 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 413,000 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 416,000 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 424,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 434,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 441,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 446,000 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 456,000 tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 458,000 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 454,000 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 467,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 467,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 451,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 449,000 tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 448,000 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 411,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2014 | 352,000 tonnes | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 329,000 tonnes | -6.5% |
| 2016 | 353,000 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2017 | 368,000 tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 353,000 tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2019 | 337,000 tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 303,000 tonnes | -10.1% |
| 2021 | 306,000 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 300,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 316,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 316,000 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.92 million tonnes, 16% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 316,000 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.08 million tonnes, 15% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 182,333 tonnes | 164,000 tonnes | 198,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 225,600 tonnes | 204,000 tonnes | 258,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 290,100 tonnes | 255,000 tonnes | 321,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 376,000 tonnes | 330,000 tonnes | 413,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 446,300 tonnes | 416,000 tonnes | 467,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 385,100 tonnes | 329,000 tonnes | 451,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 306,250 tonnes | 300,000 tonnes | 316,000 tonnes | 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 share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho?
- Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel in Lesotho was 316,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 467,000 tonnes in 2008.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 164,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel?
- Lesotho ranks 145th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to food, animal feed or fuel. 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
Quantity that is allocated for direct consumption as human food, rather than allocation to animal feed or industrial uses.