Drivers of deforestation in Lesotho
Lesotho: Drivers of deforestation was 0.54 hectares in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Drivers of deforestation in Lesotho, 2001–2020
Source: Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2020, drivers of deforestation in Lesotho stood at 0.54 hectares.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 260.0% on the previous year and down 65.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drivers of deforestation in Lesotho peaked at 7.31 hectares in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.01 hectares, in 2013.
Lesotho ranks 146th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Drivers of deforestation in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1.67 hectares | — |
| 2002 | 1.09 hectares | -34.7% |
| 2003 | 1.83 hectares | +67.9% |
| 2004 | 1.19 hectares | -35.0% |
| 2006 | 0.03 hectares | -97.5% |
| 2007 | 3.19 hectares | +10533.3% |
| 2008 | 4.33 hectares | +35.7% |
| 2009 | 4.67 hectares | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 1.55 hectares | -66.8% |
| 2011 | 3.83 hectares | +147.1% |
| 2012 | 2.35 hectares | -38.6% |
| 2013 | 0.01 hectares | -99.6% |
| 2016 | 7.31 hectares | +73000.0% |
| 2017 | 2.96 hectares | -59.5% |
| 2018 | 1.35 hectares | -54.4% |
| 2019 | 0.15 hectares | -88.9% |
| 2020 | 0.54 hectares | +260.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.54 hectares is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 225.28 hectares, 0% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.54 hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 751.37 hectares, 0% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Drivers of deforestation 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | +73000.0% | 0.01 hectares | 7.31 hectares |
| 2007 | +10533.3% | 0.03 hectares | 3.19 hectares |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.25 hectares | 0.03 hectares | 4.67 hectares | 8 |
| 2010s | 2.44 hectares | 0.01 hectares | 7.31 hectares | 8 |
| 2020s | 0.54 hectares | 0.54 hectares | 0.54 hectares | 1 |
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 drivers of deforestation in Lesotho?
- Drivers of deforestation in Lesotho was 0.54 hectares in 2020, according to Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drivers of deforestation recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 7.31 hectares in 2016.
- What is the lowest drivers of deforestation recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.01 hectares in 2013.
- How does Lesotho rank for drivers of deforestation?
- Lesotho ranks 146th out of 166 countries with data for 2020.
- Is drivers of deforestation rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 65.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Singh et al. (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drivers of deforestation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 17 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates of commodity-driven deforestation, measured in hectares per year. This includes deforestation caused by the production of agricultural products and forestry, which account for approximately 90% of the world's deforestation.