Land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho
Lesotho: Land animals slaughtered for meat was 711,000 animals in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
711,000 animals
Change on year
down 14.6%
World rank
176th
of 199 countries
All-time high
2.01 million animals
in 1995
All-time low
373,000 animals
in 2019
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
The most recent figure for land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho is 711,000 animals, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 14.6% on the previous year and down 40.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho peaked at 2.01 million animals in 1995 and was at its lowest, 373,000 animals, in 2019.
That places Lesotho 176th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 571,000 animals | — |
| 1962 | 590,000 animals | +3.3% |
| 1963 | 610,000 animals | +3.4% |
| 1964 | 628,000 animals | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 648,000 animals | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 580,000 animals | -10.5% |
| 1967 | 720,000 animals | +24.1% |
| 1968 | 758,000 animals | +5.3% |
| 1969 | 800,000 animals | +5.5% |
| 1970 | 840,000 animals | +5.0% |
| 1971 | 900,000 animals | +7.1% |
| 1972 | 900,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 920,000 animals | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 920,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 920,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 930,000 animals | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 930,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 930,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 930,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 950,000 animals | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 960,000 animals | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 1.10 million animals | +14.6% |
| 1983 | 1.20 million animals | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 1.25 million animals | +4.2% |
| 1985 | 1.30 million animals | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 1.30 million animals | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 1.35 million animals | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 1.40 million animals | +3.7% |
| 1989 | 1.45 million animals | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 1.60 million animals | +10.3% |
| 1991 | 1.17 million animals | -26.9% |
| 1992 | 1.04 million animals | -11.1% |
| 1993 | 1.34 million animals | +29.1% |
| 1994 | 1.61 million animals | +19.9% |
| 1995 | 2.01 million animals | +24.8% |
| 1996 | 1.87 million animals | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 1.73 million animals | -7.4% |
| 1998 | 1.60 million animals | -7.9% |
| 1999 | 1.46 million animals | -8.6% |
| 2000 | 1.34 million animals | -8.2% |
| 2001 | 1.27 million animals | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 1.34 million animals | +5.2% |
| 2003 | 1.20 million animals | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 1.07 million animals | -11.2% |
| 2005 | 1.20 million animals | +12.4% |
| 2006 | 1.20 million animals | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 1.19 million animals | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 807,000 animals | -32.2% |
| 2009 | 1.03 million animals | +27.3% |
| 2010 | 668,000 animals | -35.0% |
| 2011 | 645,000 animals | -3.4% |
| 2012 | 665,000 animals | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 488,000 animals | -26.6% |
| 2014 | 1.20 million animals | +146.5% |
| 2015 | 693,000 animals | -42.4% |
| 2016 | 387,000 animals | -44.2% |
| 2017 | 574,000 animals | +48.3% |
| 2018 | 555,000 animals | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 373,000 animals | -32.8% |
| 2020 | 653,000 animals | +75.1% |
| 2021 | 1.00 million animals | +53.4% |
| 2022 | 731,000 animals | -27.0% |
| 2023 | 833,000 animals | +14.0% |
| 2024 | 711,000 animals | -14.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 711,000 animals is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 57.45 million animals, 1% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 711,000 animals is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 24.46 million animals, 3% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Land animals slaughtered for meat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | +146.5% | 488,000 animals | 1.20 million animals |
| 2020 | +75.1% | 373,000 animals | 653,000 animals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 656,111 animals | 571,000 animals | 800,000 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 912,000 animals | 840,000 animals | 930,000 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.23 million animals | 950,000 animals | 1.45 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.54 million animals | 1.04 million animals | 2.01 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.17 million animals | 807,000 animals | 1.34 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 625,100 animals | 373,000 animals | 1.20 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 786,000 animals | 653,000 animals | 1.00 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 173 Martinique 794,000 animals compare
- 174 French Polynesia 745,000 animals compare
- 175 Comoros 740,000 animals compare
- 177 East Timor 603,000 animals compare
- 178 Sao Tome and Principe 595,000 animals compare
- 179 New Caledonia 582,000 animals compare
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 land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho?
- Land animals slaughtered for meat in Lesotho was 711,000 animals in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.01 million animals in 1995.
- What is the lowest land animals slaughtered for meat recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 373,000 animals in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for land animals slaughtered for meat?
- Lesotho ranks 176th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is land animals slaughtered for meat rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Land animals slaughtered for meat. 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
This data is based on the country of production, not consumption.