Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho
Lesotho: Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency was 38.46 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho is 38.46 %, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 42.0% on the previous year and up 51.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho peaked at 102.78 % in 1978 and was at its lowest, 14.39 %, in 2019.
Lesotho ranks 129th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 95.26 % | — |
| 1962 | 93.86 % | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 94.45 % | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 94.92 % | +0.5% |
| 1965 | 87.2 % | -8.1% |
| 1966 | 91.4 % | +4.8% |
| 1967 | 83.43 % | -8.7% |
| 1968 | 83.58 % | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 81.56 % | -2.4% |
| 1970 | 69.67 % | -14.6% |
| 1971 | 74.03 % | +6.3% |
| 1972 | 41.4 % | -44.1% |
| 1973 | 55.69 % | +34.5% |
| 1974 | 86.49 % | +55.3% |
| 1975 | 55.78 % | -35.5% |
| 1976 | 47.74 % | -14.4% |
| 1977 | 89.82 % | +88.2% |
| 1978 | 102.78 % | +14.4% |
| 1979 | 79.79 % | -22.4% |
| 1980 | 65.23 % | -18.3% |
| 1981 | 61.69 % | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 46.81 % | -24.1% |
| 1983 | 47.25 % | +0.9% |
| 1984 | 48.21 % | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 64.03 % | +32.8% |
| 1986 | 49.83 % | -22.2% |
| 1987 | 47.25 % | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 67.74 % | +43.4% |
| 1989 | 64.93 % | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 75.78 % | +16.7% |
| 1991 | 26.72 % | -64.7% |
| 1992 | 35.44 % | +32.7% |
| 1993 | 46 % | +29.8% |
| 1994 | 62.38 % | +35.6% |
| 1995 | 25.98 % | -58.4% |
| 1996 | 62.35 % | +140.0% |
| 1997 | 57.28 % | -8.1% |
| 1998 | 48.91 % | -14.6% |
| 1999 | 42.37 % | -13.4% |
| 2000 | 31.41 % | -25.9% |
| 2001 | 41.65 % | +32.6% |
| 2002 | 32.54 % | -21.9% |
| 2003 | 34.06 % | +4.7% |
| 2004 | 38.42 % | +12.8% |
| 2005 | 35.86 % | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 24.3 % | -32.2% |
| 2007 | 21.33 % | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 29.06 % | +36.2% |
| 2009 | 30.19 % | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 59.51 % | +97.1% |
| 2011 | 34.58 % | -41.9% |
| 2012 | 39.12 % | +13.1% |
| 2013 | 25.38 % | -35.1% |
| 2014 | 25.22 % | -0.6% |
| 2015 | 31.15 % | +23.5% |
| 2016 | 16.21 % | -48.0% |
| 2017 | 58 % | +257.8% |
| 2018 | 36.54 % | -37.0% |
| 2019 | 14.39 % | -60.6% |
| 2020 | 16.09 % | +11.8% |
| 2021 | 29.67 % | +84.4% |
| 2022 | 27.08 % | -8.7% |
| 2023 | 38.46 % | +42.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 38.46 % is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 52.75 %, 73% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 38.46 % is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 62.99 %, 61% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +257.8% | 16.21 % | 58 % |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 89.52 % | 81.56 % | 95.26 % | 9 |
| 1970s | 70.32 % | 41.4 % | 102.78 % | 10 |
| 1980s | 56.3 % | 46.81 % | 67.74 % | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.32 % | 25.98 % | 75.78 % | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.88 % | 21.33 % | 41.65 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.01 % | 14.39 % | 59.51 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.83 % | 16.09 % | 38.46 % | 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)
- 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 nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho?
- Nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency in Lesotho was 38.46 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 102.78 % in 1978.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.39 % in 2019.
- How does Lesotho rank for nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency?
- Lesotho ranks 129th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland nitrogen use efficiency rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Nutrient balance — Cropland nitrogen use efficiency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Cropland Nutrient balance domain contains information on the flows of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from mineral fertilizer, manure applied, atmospheric deposition, crop removal, and biological fixation over cropland and per unit area of cropland. The flows are aggregated to total inputs and total outputs, from which the overall nutrient balance and nutrient use efficiency on cropland are calculated. Statistics are disseminated in units of tonnes and in kg/ha, as appropriate. Nutrient use efficiency is expressed as a fraction (%).