Cereals, primary — Production in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cereals, primary — Production was 67,527 t in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Production in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in t.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — production in Lesotho stood at 67,527 t.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 52.8% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — production in Lesotho peaked at 288,249 t in 1978 and was at its lowest, 25,678 t, in 2016.
That places Lesotho 183rd out of 234 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Production in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | t | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 226,648 t | — |
| 1962 | 223,800 t | -1.3% |
| 1963 | 223,400 t | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 222,000 t | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 216,800 t | -2.3% |
| 1966 | 223,400 t | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 217,300 t | -2.7% |
| 1968 | 212,506 t | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 211,684 t | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 182,536 t | -13.8% |
| 1971 | 197,254 t | +8.1% |
| 1972 | 104,350 t | -47.1% |
| 1973 | 150,350 t | +44.1% |
| 1974 | 264,905 t | +76.2% |
| 1975 | 154,422 t | -41.7% |
| 1976 | 119,658 t | -22.5% |
| 1977 | 251,026 t | +109.8% |
| 1978 | 288,249 t | +14.8% |
| 1979 | 228,837 t | -20.6% |
| 1980 | 194,497 t | -15.0% |
| 1981 | 171,796 t | -11.7% |
| 1982 | 125,048 t | -27.2% |
| 1983 | 123,097 t | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 131,679 t | +7.0% |
| 1985 | 167,107 t | +26.9% |
| 1986 | 132,455 t | -20.7% |
| 1987 | 146,191 t | +10.4% |
| 1988 | 233,910 t | +60.0% |
| 1989 | 199,365 t | -14.8% |
| 1990 | 242,119 t | +21.4% |
| 1991 | 67,254 t | -72.2% |
| 1992 | 93,800 t | +39.5% |
| 1993 | 153,256 t | +63.4% |
| 1994 | 222,853 t | +45.4% |
| 1995 | 81,221 t | -63.6% |
| 1996 | 257,418 t | +216.9% |
| 1997 | 206,026 t | -20.0% |
| 1998 | 171,933 t | -16.5% |
| 1999 | 173,865 t | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 149,723 t | -13.9% |
| 2001 | 254,960 t | +70.3% |
| 2002 | 149,947 t | -41.2% |
| 2003 | 116,475 t | -22.3% |
| 2004 | 109,280 t | -6.2% |
| 2005 | 111,647 t | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 87,205 t | -21.9% |
| 2007 | 71,887 t | -17.6% |
| 2008 | 72,997 t | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 74,121 t | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 173,193 t | +133.7% |
| 2011 | 103,897 t | -40.0% |
| 2012 | 101,382 t | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 107,452 t | +6.0% |
| 2014 | 115,733 t | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 82,840 t | -28.4% |
| 2016 | 25,678 t | -69.0% |
| 2017 | 216,012 t | +741.2% |
| 2018 | 157,857 t | -26.9% |
| 2019 | 35,092 t | -77.8% |
| 2020 | 28,536 t | -18.7% |
| 2021 | 98,326 t | +244.6% |
| 2022 | 82,450 t | -16.1% |
| 2023 | 142,973 t | +73.4% |
| 2024 | 67,527 t | -52.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 67,527 t is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.66 million t, 4% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 67,527 t is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.52 million t, 4% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals, primary — Production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +741.2% | 25,678 t | 216,012 t |
| 2021 | +244.6% | 28,536 t | 98,326 t |
| 1996 | +216.9% | 81,221 t | 257,418 t |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 219,726 t | 211,684 t | 226,648 t | 9 |
| 1970s | 194,159 t | 104,350 t | 288,249 t | 10 |
| 1980s | 162,514 t | 123,097 t | 233,910 t | 10 |
| 1990s | 166,974 t | 67,254 t | 257,418 t | 10 |
| 2000s | 119,824 t | 71,887 t | 254,960 t | 10 |
| 2010s | 111,914 t | 25,678 t | 216,012 t | 10 |
| 2020s | 83,962 t | 28,536 t | 142,973 t | 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 cereals, primary — production in Lesotho?
- Cereals, primary — production in Lesotho was 67,527 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — production recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 288,249 t in 1978.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — production recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 25,678 t in 2016.
- How does Lesotho rank for cereals, primary — production?
- Lesotho ranks 183rd out of 234 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — production rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. 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, published as part of Cereals, primary — Production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
This dataset provides annual statistics on crop and livestock production across countries and territories. For crops, data are provided on area harvested, production quantities and yields. For livestock, data are provided on animal stocks, numbers of producing and slaughtered animals, and the production of meat, milk, eggs and other livestock products. The dataset also includes information on production quantities for selected processed products, such as vegetable oils, sugar, fibres, beer, wine and major dairy products.