Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho
Lesotho: Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area was 0.1206 kg/ha in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in kg/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho is 0.1206 kg/ha, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 83.1% on the previous year and down 76.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho peaked at 6.09 kg/ha in 1983 and was at its lowest, -0.9213 kg/ha, in 1961.
Lesotho ranks 122nd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | kg/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -0.9213 kg/ha | — |
| 1962 | -0.5732 kg/ha | -37.8% |
| 1963 | -0.6961 kg/ha | +21.4% |
| 1964 | -0.5771 kg/ha | -17.1% |
| 1965 | -0.318 kg/ha | -44.9% |
| 1966 | -0.3497 kg/ha | +10.0% |
| 1967 | -0.0435 kg/ha | -87.6% |
| 1968 | -0.4547 kg/ha | +945.3% |
| 1969 | -0.2229 kg/ha | -51.0% |
| 1970 | -0.0213 kg/ha | -90.4% |
| 1971 | 0.6192 kg/ha | -3007.0% |
| 1972 | 1.17 kg/ha | +88.7% |
| 1973 | 0.8694 kg/ha | -25.6% |
| 1974 | -0.4239 kg/ha | -148.8% |
| 1975 | 1.14 kg/ha | -369.7% |
| 1976 | 1.28 kg/ha | +11.6% |
| 1977 | 0.7955 kg/ha | -37.6% |
| 1978 | 3.98 kg/ha | +400.5% |
| 1979 | 4.49 kg/ha | +12.8% |
| 1980 | 5.32 kg/ha | +18.4% |
| 1981 | 5.3 kg/ha | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 6.01 kg/ha | +13.4% |
| 1983 | 6.09 kg/ha | +1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.66 kg/ha | -7.1% |
| 1985 | 3.89 kg/ha | -31.2% |
| 1986 | 5.42 kg/ha | +39.1% |
| 1987 | 4.76 kg/ha | -12.0% |
| 1988 | 4.29 kg/ha | -9.9% |
| 1989 | 5.14 kg/ha | +19.8% |
| 1990 | 4.29 kg/ha | -16.5% |
| 1991 | 5.94 kg/ha | +38.3% |
| 1992 | 5.38 kg/ha | -9.4% |
| 1993 | 5.04 kg/ha | -6.2% |
| 1994 | 1.56 kg/ha | -69.1% |
| 1995 | 3.23 kg/ha | +107.2% |
| 1996 | 1.28 kg/ha | -60.3% |
| 1997 | 1.82 kg/ha | +42.3% |
| 1998 | 2.23 kg/ha | +22.4% |
| 1999 | 2.45 kg/ha | +10.0% |
| 2000 | 3.64 kg/ha | +48.4% |
| 2001 | 3.7 kg/ha | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.38 kg/ha | -62.7% |
| 2003 | 0.892 kg/ha | -35.3% |
| 2004 | 1.48 kg/ha | +65.6% |
| 2005 | 2.37 kg/ha | +60.5% |
| 2006 | 3.11 kg/ha | +31.3% |
| 2007 | 3.41 kg/ha | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 1.14 kg/ha | -66.6% |
| 2009 | 1.2 kg/ha | +5.7% |
| 2010 | -0.1082 kg/ha | -109.0% |
| 2011 | 0.4584 kg/ha | -523.7% |
| 2012 | 0.68 kg/ha | +48.3% |
| 2013 | 0.511 kg/ha | -24.9% |
| 2014 | 0.2671 kg/ha | -47.7% |
| 2015 | 1.12 kg/ha | +320.3% |
| 2016 | 1.39 kg/ha | +24.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1447 kg/ha | -89.6% |
| 2018 | 1.42 kg/ha | +883.8% |
| 2019 | 2.06 kg/ha | +44.6% |
| 2020 | 0.888 kg/ha | -56.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0315 kg/ha | -96.5% |
| 2022 | 0.7146 kg/ha | +2168.6% |
| 2023 | 0.1206 kg/ha | -83.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.1206 kg/ha is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.6913 kg/ha, 17% of the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.1206 kg/ha is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.3837 kg/ha. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Nutrient balance — Cropland phosphorus per unit area 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +3007.0% | -0.0213 kg/ha | 0.6192 kg/ha |
| 2022 | +2168.6% | 0.0315 kg/ha | 0.7146 kg/ha |
| 1968 | -945.3% | -0.0435 kg/ha | -0.4547 kg/ha |
| 2018 | +883.8% | 0.1447 kg/ha | 1.42 kg/ha |
| 2011 | +523.7% | -0.1082 kg/ha | 0.4584 kg/ha |
| 1978 | +400.5% | 0.7955 kg/ha | 3.98 kg/ha |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.4618 kg/ha | -0.9213 kg/ha | -0.0435 kg/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.39 kg/ha | -0.4239 kg/ha | 4.49 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.19 kg/ha | 3.89 kg/ha | 6.09 kg/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.32 kg/ha | 1.28 kg/ha | 5.94 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.23 kg/ha | 0.892 kg/ha | 3.7 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7952 kg/ha | -0.1082 kg/ha | 2.06 kg/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4387 kg/ha | 0.0315 kg/ha | 0.888 kg/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 119 Mauritania 0.2703 kg/ha compare
- 120 Rwanda 0.2142 kg/ha compare
- 121 Liberia 0.202 kg/ha compare
- 123 Chad -0.0471 kg/ha compare
- 124 Guinea-Bissau -0.1133 kg/ha compare
- 125 Russian Federation -0.1278 kg/ha compare
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 phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho?
- Nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area in Lesotho was 0.1206 kg/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 6.09 kg/ha in 1983.
- What is the lowest nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.9213 kg/ha in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area?
- Lesotho ranks 122nd out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nutrient balance — cropland phosphorus per unit area rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 76.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 phosphorus per unit area. 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 (%).