Cereals, primary — Yield in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cereals, primary — Yield was 603.5 kg/ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Cereals, primary — Yield in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
In 2024, cereals, primary — yield in Lesotho stood at 603.5 kg/ha.
That represents a change of down 24.9% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals, primary — yield in Lesotho peaked at 1,508 kg/ha in 1977 and was at its lowest, 374.5 kg/ha, in 2008.
Lesotho ranks 173rd of 178 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Cereals, primary — Yield in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 836.2 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | 814.7 kg/ha | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 813.3 kg/ha | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 809.6 kg/ha | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 756.2 kg/ha | -6.6% |
| 1966 | 799.3 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 1967 | 747 kg/ha | -6.5% |
| 1968 | 680.2 kg/ha | -8.9% |
| 1969 | 680.4 kg/ha | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 605.5 kg/ha | -11.0% |
| 1971 | 622.8 kg/ha | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 375.1 kg/ha | -39.8% |
| 1973 | 588 kg/ha | +56.8% |
| 1974 | 909.5 kg/ha | +54.7% |
| 1975 | 703.1 kg/ha | -22.7% |
| 1976 | 640.1 kg/ha | -9.0% |
| 1977 | 1,508 kg/ha | +135.5% |
| 1978 | 1,402 kg/ha | -7.0% |
| 1979 | 1,140 kg/ha | -18.7% |
| 1980 | 959.8 kg/ha | -15.8% |
| 1981 | 830.9 kg/ha | -13.4% |
| 1982 | 664.4 kg/ha | -20.0% |
| 1983 | 679.8 kg/ha | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 648.9 kg/ha | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 720.6 kg/ha | +11.0% |
| 1986 | 679.4 kg/ha | -5.7% |
| 1987 | 601.8 kg/ha | -11.4% |
| 1988 | 831 kg/ha | +38.1% |
| 1989 | 919.4 kg/ha | +10.6% |
| 1990 | 1,037 kg/ha | +12.8% |
| 1991 | 460.3 kg/ha | -55.6% |
| 1992 | 612.1 kg/ha | +33.0% |
| 1993 | 972.6 kg/ha | +58.9% |
| 1994 | 818.2 kg/ha | -15.9% |
| 1995 | 776.4 kg/ha | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 1,184 kg/ha | +52.4% |
| 1997 | 1,016 kg/ha | -14.2% |
| 1998 | 1,353 kg/ha | +33.2% |
| 1999 | 943.3 kg/ha | -30.3% |
| 2000 | 718.8 kg/ha | -23.8% |
| 2001 | 995.5 kg/ha | +38.5% |
| 2002 | 736.3 kg/ha | -26.0% |
| 2003 | 609.1 kg/ha | -17.3% |
| 2004 | 595.4 kg/ha | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 686.8 kg/ha | +15.4% |
| 2006 | 490.8 kg/ha | -28.5% |
| 2007 | 414.4 kg/ha | -15.6% |
| 2008 | 374.5 kg/ha | -9.6% |
| 2009 | 402.2 kg/ha | +7.4% |
| 2010 | 909.1 kg/ha | +126.0% |
| 2011 | 664.3 kg/ha | -26.9% |
| 2012 | 655.6 kg/ha | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 769 kg/ha | +17.3% |
| 2014 | 683.2 kg/ha | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 661.5 kg/ha | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 471.4 kg/ha | -28.7% |
| 2017 | 990.2 kg/ha | +110.1% |
| 2018 | 715.9 kg/ha | -27.7% |
| 2019 | 705 kg/ha | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 436.8 kg/ha | -38.0% |
| 2021 | 972.6 kg/ha | +122.7% |
| 2022 | 728.9 kg/ha | -25.1% |
| 2023 | 803.5 kg/ha | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 603.5 kg/ha | -24.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 603.5 kg/ha is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1,947 kg/ha, 31% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 603.5 kg/ha is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1,342 kg/ha, 45% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cereals, primary — Yield 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | +135.5% | 640.1 kg/ha | 1,508 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 770.77 kg/ha | 680.2 kg/ha | 836.2 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 849.35 kg/ha | 375.1 kg/ha | 1,508 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 753.6 kg/ha | 601.8 kg/ha | 959.8 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 917.25 kg/ha | 460.3 kg/ha | 1,353 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 602.38 kg/ha | 374.5 kg/ha | 995.5 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 722.52 kg/ha | 471.4 kg/ha | 990.2 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 709.06 kg/ha | 436.8 kg/ha | 972.6 kg/ha | 5 |
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 cereals, primary — yield in Lesotho?
- Cereals, primary — yield in Lesotho was 603.5 kg/ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cereals, primary — yield recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1,508 kg/ha in 1977.
- What is the lowest cereals, primary — yield recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 374.5 kg/ha in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for cereals, primary — yield?
- Lesotho ranks 173rd out of 178 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereals, primary — yield rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. 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 — Yield. 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
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.