Annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho
Lesotho: Annual freshwater withdrawals was 43.80 million billion cubic meters in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
43.80 million billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
167th
of 181 countries
All-time high
50.00 million billion cubic meters
in 1987
All-time low
42.42 million billion cubic meters
in 1999
Years of data
36
1987–2022
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho, 1987–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in billion cubic meters.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 43.80 million billion cubic meters for annual freshwater withdrawals in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho peaked at 50.00 million billion cubic meters in 1987 and was at its lowest, 42.42 million billion cubic meters, in 1999.
Lesotho ranks 167th of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | billion cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 50.00 million billion cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 49.37 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1989 | 48.74 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 48.10 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 47.47 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 46.84 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 46.21 million billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 1994 | 45.58 million billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 44.94 million billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 44.31 million billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 43.68 million billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 43.05 million billion cubic meters | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 42.42 million billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 43.80 million billion cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.51 billion billion cubic meters, 3% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 43.80 million billion cubic meters is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 694.65 million billion cubic meters, 6% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 49.37 million billion cubic meters | 48.74 million billion cubic meters | 50.00 million billion cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 45.26 million billion cubic meters | 42.42 million billion cubic meters | 48.10 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 43.80 million billion cubic meters | 3 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 164 Barbados 70.00 million billion cubic meters compare
- 165 Luxembourg 47.74 million billion cubic meters compare
- 166 Congo 46.00 million billion cubic meters compare
- 168 Saint Lucia 42.90 million billion cubic meters compare
- 169 Sao Tome and Principe 40.90 million billion cubic meters compare
- 170 Malta 36.66 million billion cubic meters compare
More environment data for Lesotho
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.284 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.783 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.521 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual -0.4197 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho?
- Annual freshwater withdrawals in Lesotho was 43.80 million billion cubic meters in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 50.00 million billion cubic meters in 1987.
- What is the lowest annual freshwater withdrawals recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.42 million billion cubic meters in 1999.
- How does Lesotho rank for annual freshwater withdrawals?
- Lesotho ranks 167th out of 181 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual freshwater withdrawals rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual freshwater withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual freshwater withdrawals refer to total water withdrawals, not counting evaporation losses from storage basins, measured in cubic meters (m³) per year. Total water withdrawals are the sum of withdrawals for agriculture, industry and municipal (domestic uses). Withdrawals also include water from desalination plants in countries where they are a significant source.