Share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of land area used for agriculture was 77.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 77.8% for share of land area used for agriculture in 2023.
The figure is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 4.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho peaked at 85.1% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 71.0%, in 2019.
That places Lesotho 8th out of 209 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 85.0% | — |
| 1962 | 84.8% | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 84.8% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 84.9% | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 84.9% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 85.1% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 85.1% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 83.4% | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 81.6% | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 79.9% | -2.1% |
| 1971 | 77.9% | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 77.7% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 77.7% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 77.7% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 78.3% | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 77.7% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 75.5% | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 75.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 76.1% | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 75.6% | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 75.8% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 75.5% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 75.3% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 75.8% | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 76.0% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 75.5% | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 76.7% | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 77.2% | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 75.9% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 76.4% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 76.5% | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 76.9% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 76.9% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 76.7% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 76.5% | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 76.6% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 76.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 76.7% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 76.7% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 76.9% | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 76.9% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 75.9% | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 75.9% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 76.2% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 76.6% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 76.0% | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 76.7% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 77.8% | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 77.0% | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 76.6% | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 76.2% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 75.3% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 74.2% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 75.0% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 73.2% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 77.6% | +6.0% |
| 2017 | 79.6% | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 80.1% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 71.0% | -11.5% |
| 2020 | 77.4% | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 73.4% | -5.1% |
| 2022 | 74.9% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 77.8% | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 84.4% | 81.6% | 85.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 77.4% | 75.5% | 79.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 75.9% | 75.3% | 77.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.7% | 76.4% | 76.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 76.6% | 75.9% | 77.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.9% | 71.0% | 80.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.9% | 73.4% | 77.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 5 Saudi Arabia 80.8% compare
- 6 South Africa 79.4% compare
- 7 Kazakhstan 79.4% compare
- 9 Rwanda 76.3% compare
- 10 Nigeria 76.2% compare
- 11 Moldova 74.1% 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 share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho?
- Share of land area used for agriculture in Lesotho was 77.8% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 85.1% in 1966.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for agriculture recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.0% in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of land area used for agriculture?
- Lesotho ranks 8th out of 209 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for agriculture rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.8%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of land area used for agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Agricultural land refers to the share of land area that is arable, under permanent crops, and under permanent pastures.