Land use over the long-term in Lesotho
Lesotho: Land use over the long-term was 400,000 hectares in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
400,000 hectares
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
129th
of 202 countries
All-time high
400,000 hectares
in 2006
All-time low
870.1 hectares
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Land use over the long-term in Lesotho, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 400,000 hectares for land use over the long-term in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use over the long-term in Lesotho peaked at 400,000 hectares in 2006 and was at its lowest, 870.1 hectares, in 1000.
That places Lesotho 129th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 870.1 hectares | 870.1 hectares | 870.1 hectares | 1 |
| 1100s | 1,131 hectares | 1,131 hectares | 1,131 hectares | 1 |
| 1200s | 1,484 hectares | 1,484 hectares | 1,484 hectares | 1 |
| 1300s | 1,967 hectares | 1,967 hectares | 1,967 hectares | 1 |
| 1400s | 2,639 hectares | 2,639 hectares | 2,639 hectares | 1 |
| 1500s | 3,589 hectares | 3,589 hectares | 3,589 hectares | 1 |
| 1600s | 4,963 hectares | 4,963 hectares | 4,963 hectares | 1 |
| 1700s | 15,422 hectares | 15,422 hectares | 15,422 hectares | 1 |
| 1710s | 16,869 hectares | 16,869 hectares | 16,869 hectares | 1 |
| 1720s | 18,409 hectares | 18,409 hectares | 18,409 hectares | 1 |
| 1730s | 20,052 hectares | 20,052 hectares | 20,052 hectares | 1 |
| 1740s | 21,812 hectares | 21,812 hectares | 21,812 hectares | 1 |
| 1750s | 23,703 hectares | 23,703 hectares | 23,703 hectares | 1 |
| 1760s | 25,742 hectares | 25,742 hectares | 25,742 hectares | 1 |
| 1770s | 27,952 hectares | 27,952 hectares | 27,952 hectares | 1 |
| 1780s | 30,358 hectares | 30,358 hectares | 30,358 hectares | 1 |
| 1790s | 32,991 hectares | 32,991 hectares | 32,991 hectares | 1 |
| 1800s | 35,890 hectares | 35,890 hectares | 35,890 hectares | 1 |
| 1810s | 39,105 hectares | 39,105 hectares | 39,105 hectares | 1 |
| 1820s | 42,698 hectares | 42,698 hectares | 42,698 hectares | 1 |
| 1830s | 46,751 hectares | 46,751 hectares | 46,751 hectares | 1 |
| 1840s | 51,928 hectares | 51,928 hectares | 51,928 hectares | 1 |
| 1850s | 53,648 hectares | 53,648 hectares | 53,648 hectares | 1 |
| 1860s | 59,339 hectares | 59,339 hectares | 59,339 hectares | 1 |
| 1870s | 65,635 hectares | 65,635 hectares | 65,635 hectares | 1 |
| 1880s | 72,598 hectares | 72,598 hectares | 72,598 hectares | 1 |
| 1890s | 80,301 hectares | 80,301 hectares | 80,301 hectares | 1 |
| 1900s | 88,820 hectares | 88,820 hectares | 88,820 hectares | 1 |
| 1910s | 104,592 hectares | 104,592 hectares | 104,592 hectares | 1 |
| 1920s | 122,027 hectares | 122,027 hectares | 122,027 hectares | 1 |
| 1930s | 150,290 hectares | 150,290 hectares | 150,290 hectares | 1 |
| 1940s | 241,901 hectares | 241,901 hectares | 241,901 hectares | 1 |
| 1950s | 271,253 hectares | 254,034 hectares | 289,969 hectares | 10 |
| 1960s | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1970s | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 301,750 hectares | 300,000 hectares | 317,500 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 368,500 hectares | 325,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 400,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 400,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 400,000 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More environment data for Lesotho
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 3.06 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 1.31 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 0.7882 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.2847 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 0.3356 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0003 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 1.6 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.0002 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.0038 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 0.1865 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use over the long-term in Lesotho?
- Land use over the long-term in Lesotho was 400,000 hectares in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use over the long-term recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 400,000 hectares in 2006.
- What is the lowest land use over the long-term recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 870.1 hectares in 1000.
- How does Lesotho rank for land use over the long-term?
- Lesotho ranks 129th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is land use over the long-term rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total grazingland area for each separate country over time.