People using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho
Lesotho: People using improved drinking water sources was 209,331 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
People using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for people using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho is 209,331 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.5% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, people using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho peaked at 452,404 people in 2000 and was at its lowest, 209,331 people, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 73rd of 231 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
People using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 452,404 people | — |
| 2001 | 439,331 people | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 425,675 people | -3.1% |
| 2003 | 411,430 people | -3.3% |
| 2004 | 396,482 people | -3.6% |
| 2005 | 380,960 people | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 367,607 people | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 357,670 people | -2.7% |
| 2008 | 348,587 people | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 339,593 people | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 330,659 people | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 321,989 people | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 313,921 people | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 305,951 people | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 297,996 people | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 289,964 people | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 281,894 people | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 273,714 people | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 265,267 people | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 256,506 people | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 247,575 people | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 238,368 people | -3.7% |
| 2022 | 228,819 people | -4.0% |
| 2023 | 219,149 people | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 209,331 people | -4.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 391,974 people | 339,593 people | 452,404 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 293,786 people | 256,506 people | 330,659 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 228,648 people | 209,331 people | 247,575 people | 5 |
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)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, annual growth rate -39.44 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per capita 0.001 m3 per person (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, annual growth rate -43.89 % change on previous year (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Plywood and LVL — Import value, per capita 0.0005 1000 USD per person (2024)
- Paper and paperboard — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.85 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is people using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho?
- People using improved drinking water sources in Lesotho was 209,331 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 452,404 people in 2000.
- What is the lowest people using improved drinking water sources recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 209,331 people in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for people using improved drinking water sources?
- Lesotho ranks 73rd out of 231 countries with data for 2024.
- Is people using improved drinking water sources rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People using improved drinking water sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using only unimproved drinking water sources.