Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population was 111,896 hectares in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
111,896 hectares
Change on year
down 37.1%
World rank
134th
of 186 countries
All-time high
316,737 hectares
in 1971
All-time low
49,777 hectares
in 2019
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho is 111,896 hectares, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 37.1% on the previous year and down 33.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho peaked at 316,737 hectares in 1971 and was at its lowest, 49,777 hectares, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 134th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 271,059 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 274,700 hectares | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 274,700 hectares | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 274,200 hectares | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 286,700 hectares | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 279,500 hectares | -2.5% |
| 1967 | 290,900 hectares | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 312,439 hectares | +7.4% |
| 1969 | 311,127 hectares | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 301,455 hectares | -3.1% |
| 1971 | 316,737 hectares | +5.1% |
| 1972 | 278,192 hectares | -12.2% |
| 1973 | 255,700 hectares | -8.1% |
| 1974 | 291,267 hectares | +13.9% |
| 1975 | 219,636 hectares | -24.6% |
| 1976 | 186,945 hectares | -14.9% |
| 1977 | 166,497 hectares | -10.9% |
| 1978 | 205,573 hectares | +23.5% |
| 1979 | 200,825 hectares | -2.3% |
| 1980 | 202,642 hectares | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 206,760 hectares | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 188,220 hectares | -9.0% |
| 1983 | 181,070 hectares | -3.8% |
| 1984 | 202,934 hectares | +12.1% |
| 1985 | 231,890 hectares | +14.3% |
| 1986 | 194,965 hectares | -15.9% |
| 1987 | 242,934 hectares | +24.6% |
| 1988 | 281,473 hectares | +15.9% |
| 1989 | 216,845 hectares | -23.0% |
| 1990 | 233,506 hectares | +7.7% |
| 1991 | 146,106 hectares | -37.4% |
| 1992 | 153,239 hectares | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 157,568 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1994 | 272,374 hectares | +72.9% |
| 1995 | 104,613 hectares | -61.6% |
| 1996 | 217,487 hectares | +107.9% |
| 1997 | 202,828 hectares | -6.7% |
| 1998 | 127,047 hectares | -37.4% |
| 1999 | 184,312 hectares | +45.1% |
| 2000 | 208,295 hectares | +13.0% |
| 2001 | 256,109 hectares | +23.0% |
| 2002 | 203,652 hectares | -20.5% |
| 2003 | 191,237 hectares | -6.1% |
| 2004 | 183,527 hectares | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 162,555 hectares | -11.4% |
| 2006 | 177,688 hectares | +9.3% |
| 2007 | 173,484 hectares | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 194,908 hectares | +12.3% |
| 2009 | 184,308 hectares | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 190,512 hectares | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 156,406 hectares | -17.9% |
| 2012 | 154,640 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 139,734 hectares | -9.6% |
| 2014 | 169,408 hectares | +21.2% |
| 2015 | 125,225 hectares | -26.1% |
| 2016 | 54,468 hectares | -56.5% |
| 2017 | 218,157 hectares | +300.5% |
| 2018 | 220,490 hectares | +1.1% |
| 2019 | 49,777 hectares | -77.4% |
| 2020 | 65,331 hectares | +31.2% |
| 2021 | 101,101 hectares | +54.8% |
| 2022 | 113,115 hectares | +11.9% |
| 2023 | 177,938 hectares | +57.3% |
| 2024 | 111,896 hectares | -37.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 286,147 hectares | 271,059 hectares | 312,439 hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 242,283 hectares | 166,497 hectares | 316,737 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 214,973 hectares | 181,070 hectares | 281,473 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 179,908 hectares | 104,613 hectares | 272,374 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 193,576 hectares | 162,555 hectares | 256,109 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 147,882 hectares | 49,777 hectares | 220,490 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 113,876 hectares | 65,331 hectares | 177,938 hectares | 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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho?
- Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population in Lesotho was 111,896 hectares 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 change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 316,737 hectares in 1971.
- What is the lowest change in cereal production, yield, land use and population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 49,777 hectares in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for change in cereal production, yield, land use and population?
- Lesotho ranks 134th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is change in cereal production, yield, land use and population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.9%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Change in cereal production, yield, land use and population. 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).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.