Share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of employment in agriculture was 30.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho stood at 30.9%.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho peaked at 38.6% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2016.
Lesotho ranks 57th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 38.6% | — |
| 1992 | 38.2% | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 37.7% | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 37.1% | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 36.7% | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 35.9% | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 35.7% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 36.1% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 36.4% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 36.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 35.9% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 35.6% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 35.1% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 35.0% | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 34.4% | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 33.7% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 33.2% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 32.5% | -2.0% |
| 2009 | 32.6% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 31.9% | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 31.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 30.7% | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 30.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 30.2% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 29.9% | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 30.3% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 29.8% | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 31.5% | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 32.0% | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 31.7% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 31.5% | -0.4% |
| 2024 | 31.1% | -1.3% |
| 2025 | 30.9% | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 36.9% | 35.7% | 38.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 34.4% | 32.5% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.5% | 29.8% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.5% | 30.9% | 32.0% | 6 |
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 employment in agriculture in Lesotho?
- Share of employment in agriculture in Lesotho was 30.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 38.6% in 1991.
- What is the lowest share of employment in agriculture recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2016.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of employment in agriculture?
- Lesotho ranks 57th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of employment in agriculture rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026); Broadberry and Gardner (2013); International Labor Organization (via World Bank) (2013) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of employment in agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of working people employed in agriculture, including hunting, forestry and fishing.