Arable land use per person in Lesotho
Lesotho: Arable land use per person was 0.1543 hectares per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.1543 hectares per person
Change on year
up 30.0%
World rank
79th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.4718 hectares per person
in 1961
All-time low
0.0681 hectares per person
in 2019
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Arable land use per person 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 hectares per person.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 0.1543 hectares per person for arable land use per person in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 30.0% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land use per person in Lesotho peaked at 0.4718 hectares per person in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.0681 hectares per person, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 79th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Arable land use per person in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.4718 hectares per person | — |
| 1962 | 0.4515 hectares per person | -4.3% |
| 1963 | 0.4383 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1964 | 0.428 hectares per person | -2.4% |
| 1965 | 0.4156 hectares per person | -2.9% |
| 1966 | 0.4082 hectares per person | -1.8% |
| 1967 | 0.3939 hectares per person | -3.5% |
| 1968 | 0.385 hectares per person | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 0.3712 hectares per person | -3.6% |
| 1970 | 0.361 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1971 | 0.3408 hectares per person | -5.6% |
| 1972 | 0.3245 hectares per person | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.3134 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1974 | 0.3028 hectares per person | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 0.3065 hectares per person | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 0.2833 hectares per person | -7.6% |
| 1977 | 0.2233 hectares per person | -21.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2177 hectares per person | -2.5% |
| 1979 | 0.2233 hectares per person | +2.5% |
| 1980 | 0.2076 hectares per person | -7.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2058 hectares per person | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 0.1932 hectares per person | -6.1% |
| 1983 | 0.1844 hectares per person | -4.5% |
| 1984 | 0.1881 hectares per person | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1871 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1986 | 0.1723 hectares per person | -8.0% |
| 1987 | 0.1914 hectares per person | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 0.1948 hectares per person | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 0.1695 hectares per person | -13.0% |
| 1990 | 0.1752 hectares per person | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 0.1731 hectares per person | -1.2% |
| 1992 | 0.1772 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 1993 | 0.1735 hectares per person | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 0.1686 hectares per person | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 0.164 hectares per person | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 0.1633 hectares per person | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 0.1635 hectares per person | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 0.1627 hectares per person | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 0.1622 hectares per person | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1647 hectares per person | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.1649 hectares per person | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.1504 hectares per person | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 0.1511 hectares per person | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 0.1573 hectares per person | +4.1% |
| 2005 | 0.1654 hectares per person | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 0.1558 hectares per person | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 0.1664 hectares per person | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 0.182 hectares per person | +9.4% |
| 2009 | 0.1691 hectares per person | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 0.1613 hectares per person | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 0.1529 hectares per person | -5.2% |
| 2012 | 0.1383 hectares per person | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 0.1206 hectares per person | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 0.1309 hectares per person | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 0.1041 hectares per person | -20.5% |
| 2016 | 0.1652 hectares per person | +58.8% |
| 2017 | 0.1944 hectares per person | +17.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1991 hectares per person | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 0.0681 hectares per person | -65.8% |
| 2020 | 0.1545 hectares per person | +127.0% |
| 2021 | 0.0997 hectares per person | -35.5% |
| 2022 | 0.1187 hectares per person | +19.1% |
| 2023 | 0.1543 hectares per person | +30.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.1543 hectares per person is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.1272 hectares per person, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.1543 hectares per person is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.1581 hectares per person, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Arable land use per person in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +127.0% | 0.0681 hectares per person | 0.1545 hectares per person |
| 2019 | -65.8% | 0.1991 hectares per person | 0.0681 hectares per person |
| 2016 | +58.8% | 0.1041 hectares per person | 0.1652 hectares per person |
| 2021 | -35.5% | 0.1545 hectares per person | 0.0997 hectares per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.4182 hectares per person | 0.3712 hectares per person | 0.4718 hectares per person | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.2897 hectares per person | 0.2177 hectares per person | 0.361 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1894 hectares per person | 0.1695 hectares per person | 0.2076 hectares per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1683 hectares per person | 0.1622 hectares per person | 0.1772 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1627 hectares per person | 0.1504 hectares per person | 0.182 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1435 hectares per person | 0.0681 hectares per person | 0.1991 hectares per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1318 hectares per person | 0.0997 hectares per person | 0.1545 hectares per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 arable land use per person in Lesotho?
- Arable land use per person in Lesotho was 0.1543 hectares per person 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 arable land use per person recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.4718 hectares per person in 1961.
- What is the lowest arable land use per person recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0681 hectares per person in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for arable land use per person?
- Lesotho ranks 79th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land use per person rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. 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 Arable land use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Arable land is defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops, temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. It is measured in hectares per person.