Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) was 39.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho stood at 39.1%.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho peaked at 57.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 38.5%, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 40th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 57.1% | — |
| 1992 | 56.6% | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 56.0% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 55.3% | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 54.9% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 53.9% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 53.4% | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 53.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 53.4% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 52.4% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 51.8% | -1.2% |
| 2002 | 51.1% | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 50.0% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 49.5% | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 48.4% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 47.2% | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 46.2% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 45.1% | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 45.0% | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 43.7% | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 42.7% | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 41.6% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 41.2% | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 40.4% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 39.7% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 39.3% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 39.5% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 39.3% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 38.5% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 40.2% | +4.4% |
| 2021 | 40.4% | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 40.0% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 39.8% | -0.3% |
| 2024 | 39.4% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 39.1% | -0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 39.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.1%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 39.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 45.0%, 87% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 54.9% | 53.4% | 57.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 48.7% | 45.0% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.6% | 38.5% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 39.8% | 39.1% | 40.4% | 6 |
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 employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho?
- Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) in Lesotho was 39.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 57.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 38.5% in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment)?
- Lesotho ranks 40th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture, male (% of male employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).