Potato yields in Lesotho
Lesotho: Potato yields was 17.89 tonnes per hectare in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
17.89 tonnes per hectare
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
92nd
of 159 countries
All-time high
18.6 tonnes per hectare
in 2019
All-time low
12.5 tonnes per hectare
in 1978
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Potato yields in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per hectare.
Analysis
In 2024, potato yields in Lesotho stood at 17.89 tonnes per hectare.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, potato yields in Lesotho peaked at 18.6 tonnes per hectare in 2019 and was at its lowest, 12.5 tonnes per hectare, in 1978.
Lesotho ranks 92nd of 159 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Potato yields in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes per hectare | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 15 tonnes per hectare | — |
| 1962 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 14 tonnes per hectare | -6.7% |
| 1967 | 14 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 14 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 14 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 13.33 tonnes per hectare | -4.8% |
| 1971 | 13.33 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 13.33 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 12.86 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1974 | 12.86 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 12.97 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 13.05 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 13.33 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 12.5 tonnes per hectare | -6.2% |
| 1979 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +20.0% |
| 1980 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 14.29 tonnes per hectare | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 14.67 tonnes per hectare | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 15.62 tonnes per hectare | +6.5% |
| 1985 | 15.56 tonnes per hectare | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 15 tonnes per hectare | -3.6% |
| 1987 | 15.22 tonnes per hectare | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 15.2 tonnes per hectare | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 15.52 tonnes per hectare | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 17.69 tonnes per hectare | +14.0% |
| 1991 | 15.62 tonnes per hectare | -11.7% |
| 1992 | 14.86 tonnes per hectare | -4.9% |
| 1993 | 15 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 15.56 tonnes per hectare | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 15.63 tonnes per hectare | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 15.73 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 15.96 tonnes per hectare | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 16 tonnes per hectare | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 16.35 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 2000 | 16.42 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 16.3 tonnes per hectare | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 16.27 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 16.29 tonnes per hectare | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 16.35 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 16.4 tonnes per hectare | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 16.46 tonnes per hectare | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 16.61 tonnes per hectare | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 16.64 tonnes per hectare | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 15.96 tonnes per hectare | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 16.5 tonnes per hectare | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 16.47 tonnes per hectare | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 16.43 tonnes per hectare | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 17.36 tonnes per hectare | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 17.11 tonnes per hectare | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 16.88 tonnes per hectare | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 18.01 tonnes per hectare | +6.7% |
| 2017 | 17.69 tonnes per hectare | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 17.59 tonnes per hectare | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 18.6 tonnes per hectare | +5.8% |
| 2020 | 17.5 tonnes per hectare | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 17.89 tonnes per hectare | +2.2% |
| 2022 | 17.99 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 17.79 tonnes per hectare | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 17.89 tonnes per hectare | +0.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 17.89 tonnes per hectare is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.14 tonnes per hectare, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 17.89 tonnes per hectare is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.02 tonnes per hectare, 1.8× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.56 tonnes per hectare | 14 tonnes per hectare | 15 tonnes per hectare | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.26 tonnes per hectare | 12.5 tonnes per hectare | 15 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.11 tonnes per hectare | 14.29 tonnes per hectare | 15.62 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.84 tonnes per hectare | 14.86 tonnes per hectare | 17.69 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.37 tonnes per hectare | 15.96 tonnes per hectare | 16.64 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.26 tonnes per hectare | 16.43 tonnes per hectare | 18.6 tonnes per hectare | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.81 tonnes per hectare | 17.5 tonnes per hectare | 17.99 tonnes per hectare | 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 potato yields in Lesotho?
- Potato yields in Lesotho was 17.89 tonnes per hectare in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest potato yields recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6 tonnes per hectare in 2019.
- What is the lowest potato yields recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5 tonnes per hectare in 1978.
- How does Lesotho rank for potato yields?
- Lesotho ranks 92nd out of 159 countries with data for 2024.
- Is potato yields rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. 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); Broadberry et al. (2015); Brassley (2000) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Potato yields. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Yields are measured in tonnes per hectare.