Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho
Lesotho: Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals was 45.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Municipal water as a share of total water 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 % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho stood at 45.7%. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho peaked at 45.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 22.0%, in 1987.
Lesotho ranks 43rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 22.0% | — |
| 1988 | 23.7% | +7.7% |
| 1989 | 25.4% | +7.3% |
| 1990 | 27.2% | +7.0% |
| 1991 | 29.0% | +6.7% |
| 1992 | 30.9% | +6.4% |
| 1993 | 32.8% | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 34.8% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 36.8% | +5.8% |
| 1996 | 38.9% | +5.7% |
| 1997 | 41.0% | +5.5% |
| 1998 | 43.2% | +5.4% |
| 1999 | 45.5% | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 45.7% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 45.7% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.7% | 22.0% | 25.4% | 3 |
| 1990s | 36.0% | 27.2% | 45.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 3 |
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)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.85 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 t per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, per capita 0.0021 t per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, annual growth rate 21.89 % change on previous year (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import value, per capita 0.0021 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Graphic papers — Import quantity, annual growth rate -64.61 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho?
- Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals in Lesotho was 45.7% 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 municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 45.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.0% in 1987.
- How does Lesotho rank for municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Lesotho ranks 43rd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals 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 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 Municipal water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Municipal (domestic) water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry, and municipal purposes).