Share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of cereals allocated to human food was 94.3% in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
94.3%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
33rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
99.1%
in 2007
All-time low
90.6%
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 94.3% for share of cereals allocated to human food in 2023.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho peaked at 99.1% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 90.6%, in 1961.
Lesotho ranks 33rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 90.6% | — |
| 1962 | 90.8% | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 91.4% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 91.3% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 93.9% | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 91.7% | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 91.7% | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 91.5% | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 94.3% | +3.1% |
| 1970 | 94.4% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 94.7% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 94.6% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 94.0% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 94.4% | +0.4% |
| 1975 | 93.9% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 93.1% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 94.8% | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 94.8% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 95.0% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 93.9% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 95.2% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 95.9% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 96.2% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 96.3% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 95.6% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 96.3% | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 95.0% | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 96.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 97.8% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 97.6% | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 97.6% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 97.7% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 97.9% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 98.5% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 98.5% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 98.3% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 98.6% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 98.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 97.9% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 98.6% | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 99.1% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 98.7% | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 98.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 94.0% | -4.8% |
| 2011 | 93.9% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 94.5% | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 96.0% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 94.9% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 94.5% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 95.9% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 96.6% | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 94.1% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 92.6% | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 95.9% | +3.6% |
| 2021 | 95.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 94.6% | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 94.3% | -0.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 94.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.2%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 94.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 88.3%, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 91.9% | 90.6% | 94.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 94.3% | 93.1% | 94.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 95.4% | 93.9% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 97.9% | 96.8% | 98.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 98.6% | 97.9% | 99.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 94.7% | 92.6% | 96.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.2% | 94.3% | 95.9% | 4 |
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 share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food in Lesotho was 94.3% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 99.1% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 90.6% in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of cereals allocated to human food?
- Lesotho ranks 33rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of cereals allocated to human food. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of cereals available for domestic use – after accounting for trade – that is allocated to direct human consumption, relative to the total used for human food, animal feed, and industrial purposes. This excludes cereals used for seed, processing, and losses.