Industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho
Lesotho: Industrial water withdrawal was 20.00 million cubic meters in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
20.00 million cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
142nd
of 180 countries
All-time high
20.00 million cubic meters
in 2000
All-time low
11.00 million cubic meters
in 1987
Years of data
37
1987–2023
Industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho, 1987–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho is 20.00 million cubic meters, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho peaked at 20.00 million cubic meters in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.00 million cubic meters, in 1987.
Lesotho ranks 142nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 37 years of available data.
Industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 11.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1988 | 11.69 million cubic meters | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 12.38 million cubic meters | +5.9% |
| 1990 | 13.08 million cubic meters | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 13.77 million cubic meters | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 14.46 million cubic meters | +5.0% |
| 1993 | 15.15 million cubic meters | +4.8% |
| 1994 | 15.85 million cubic meters | +4.6% |
| 1995 | 16.54 million cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 17.23 million cubic meters | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 17.92 million cubic meters | +4.0% |
| 1998 | 18.62 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 19.31 million cubic meters | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 2001 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 20.00 million cubic meters | +0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 20.00 million cubic meters is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 80.80 million cubic meters, 25% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 20.00 million cubic meters is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.50 million cubic meters, 73% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 11.69 million cubic meters | 11.00 million cubic meters | 12.38 million cubic meters | 3 |
| 1990s | 16.19 million cubic meters | 13.08 million cubic meters | 19.31 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 20.00 million cubic meters | 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)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.966 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 2.7 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho?
- Industrial water withdrawal in Lesotho was 20.00 million cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 20.00 million cubic meters in 2000.
- What is the lowest industrial water withdrawal recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.00 million cubic meters in 1987.
- How does Lesotho rank for industrial water withdrawal?
- Lesotho ranks 142nd out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is industrial water withdrawal rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Industrial water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 37 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year by self-supplied industries.