Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Lesotho
Lesotho: Maize (corn) — Area harvested was 89,206 ha in 2024. ▼ Falling
Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in ha.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 89,206 ha for maize (corn) — area harvested in 2024.
The figure is down 40.2% on the previous year and down 32.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, maize (corn) — area harvested in Lesotho peaked at 177,485 ha in 2001 and was at its lowest, 32,026 ha, in 2019.
That places Lesotho 81st out of 167 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Maize (corn) — Area harvested in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 135,000 ha | — |
| 1962 | 135,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 135,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 135,000 ha | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 155,000 ha | +14.8% |
| 1966 | 140,000 ha | -9.7% |
| 1967 | 148,000 ha | +5.7% |
| 1968 | 156,477 ha | +5.7% |
| 1969 | 142,037 ha | -9.2% |
| 1970 | 129,247 ha | -9.0% |
| 1971 | 135,000 ha | +4.5% |
| 1972 | 110,000 ha | -18.5% |
| 1973 | 115,000 ha | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 129,708 ha | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 107,844 ha | -16.9% |
| 1976 | 84,827 ha | -21.3% |
| 1977 | 80,336 ha | -5.3% |
| 1978 | 101,683 ha | +26.6% |
| 1979 | 112,263 ha | +10.4% |
| 1980 | 110,357 ha | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 124,812 ha | +13.1% |
| 1982 | 114,282 ha | -8.4% |
| 1983 | 103,529 ha | -9.4% |
| 1984 | 116,739 ha | +12.8% |
| 1985 | 118,061 ha | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 122,008 ha | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 142,422 ha | +16.7% |
| 1988 | 173,214 ha | +21.6% |
| 1989 | 130,996 ha | -24.4% |
| 1990 | 155,976 ha | +19.1% |
| 1991 | 90,461 ha | -42.0% |
| 1992 | 105,454 ha | +16.6% |
| 1993 | 103,437 ha | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 172,743 ha | +67.0% |
| 1995 | 76,955 ha | -55.5% |
| 1996 | 150,908 ha | +96.1% |
| 1997 | 144,116 ha | -4.5% |
| 1998 | 90,030 ha | -37.5% |
| 1999 | 132,360 ha | +47.0% |
| 2000 | 157,680 ha | +19.1% |
| 2001 | 177,485 ha | +12.6% |
| 2002 | 137,380 ha | -22.6% |
| 2003 | 127,470 ha | -7.2% |
| 2004 | 127,620 ha | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 112,302 ha | -12.0% |
| 2006 | 123,508 ha | +10.0% |
| 2007 | 123,661 ha | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 137,156 ha | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 137,366 ha | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 141,340 ha | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 115,688 ha | -18.1% |
| 2012 | 126,854 ha | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 104,926 ha | -17.3% |
| 2014 | 132,727 ha | +26.5% |
| 2015 | 99,884 ha | -24.7% |
| 2016 | 40,981 ha | -59.0% |
| 2017 | 165,882 ha | +304.8% |
| 2018 | 126,564 ha | -23.7% |
| 2019 | 32,026 ha | -74.7% |
| 2020 | 47,669 ha | +48.8% |
| 2021 | 86,379 ha | +81.2% |
| 2022 | 89,602 ha | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 149,271 ha | +66.6% |
| 2024 | 89,206 ha | -40.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 89,206 ha is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 249,854 ha, 36% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 89,206 ha is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 275,000 ha, 32% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Maize (corn) — Area harvested 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +304.8% | 40,981 ha | 165,882 ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 142,390 ha | 135,000 ha | 156,477 ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 110,591 ha | 80,336 ha | 135,000 ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 125,642 ha | 103,529 ha | 173,214 ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 122,244 ha | 76,955 ha | 172,743 ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 136,163 ha | 112,302 ha | 177,485 ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 108,687 ha | 32,026 ha | 165,882 ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 92,425 ha | 47,669 ha | 149,271 ha | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 79 Greece 99,240 ha compare
- 80 Australia and New Zealand 96,763 ha compare
- 82 Czechia 87,480 ha compare
- 83 Australia 75,132 ha compare
- 84 Uzbekistan 72,751 ha 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 maize (corn) — area harvested in Lesotho?
- Maize (corn) — area harvested in Lesotho was 89,206 ha in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest maize (corn) — area harvested recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 177,485 ha in 2001.
- What is the lowest maize (corn) — area harvested recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 32,026 ha in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for maize (corn) — area harvested?
- Lesotho ranks 81st out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
- Is maize (corn) — area harvested rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.8%. 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 Maize (corn) — Area harvested. 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.