Meat production by livestock type in Lesotho
Lesotho: Meat production by livestock type was 5,733 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
5,733 tonnes
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
42nd
of 60 countries
All-time high
5,733 tonnes
in 2024
All-time low
2,690 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Meat production by livestock type in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, meat production by livestock type in Lesotho stood at 5,733 tonnes. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, meat production by livestock type in Lesotho peaked at 5,733 tonnes in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2,690 tonnes, in 1961.
That places Lesotho 42nd out of 60 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.
Meat production by livestock type in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,690 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 2,730 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 2,780 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 2,820 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1965 | 2,860 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 2,910 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 2,960 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1968 | 3,020 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 3,070 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 1970 | 3,130 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 3,190 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 3,250 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 3,310 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 3,380 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1975 | 3,450 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 3,500 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3,500 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3,875 tonnes | +10.7% |
| 1991 | 3,031 tonnes | -21.8% |
| 1992 | 3,124 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 3,216 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 3,309 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 3,415 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 3,498 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 3,600 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 3,700 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 3,800 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 3,900 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 4,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 4,050 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 4,100 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 4,150 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 4,200 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 4,300 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 4,400 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 4,500 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 4,700 tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 4,881 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 5,200 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2012 | 5,266 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 5,130 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 5,170 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 5,438 tonnes | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 5,246 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 5,351 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 5,427 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 5,520 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 5,620 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 5,700 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 5,598 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 5,669 tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 5,733 tonnes | +1.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 5,733 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 33,246 tonnes, 17% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 5,733 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24,000 tonnes, 24% of the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,871 tonnes | 2,690 tonnes | 3,070 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 3,371 tonnes | 3,130 tonnes | 3,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 3,500 tonnes | 3,500 tonnes | 3,500 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,457 tonnes | 3,031 tonnes | 3,875 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,230 tonnes | 3,900 tonnes | 4,700 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,263 tonnes | 4,881 tonnes | 5,520 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,664 tonnes | 5,598 tonnes | 5,733 tonnes | 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 meat production by livestock type in Lesotho?
- Meat production by livestock type in Lesotho was 5,733 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest meat production by livestock type recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5,733 tonnes in 2024.
- What is the lowest meat production by livestock type recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,690 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for meat production by livestock type?
- Lesotho ranks 42nd out of 60 countries with data for 2024.
- Is meat production by livestock type rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Meat production by livestock type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).