Outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho
Lesotho: Outdoor air pollution exposure was 24.5 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
24.5
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
63rd
of 241 countries
All-time high
29.1
in 2022
All-time low
17.1
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho stood at 24.5.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho peaked at 29.1 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 17.1, in 1999.
Lesotho ranks 63rd of 241 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.
Outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 17.3 | — |
| 1999 | 17.1 | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 24.4 | +42.7% |
| 2001 | 22.5 | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 25.3 | +12.4% |
| 2003 | 24.8 | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 23.7 | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 25 | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 25.4 | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 23 | -9.4% |
| 2008 | 25.2 | +9.6% |
| 2009 | 24.7 | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 26.6 | +7.7% |
| 2011 | 23.5 | -11.7% |
| 2012 | 24.6 | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 24.3 | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 24.2 | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 24.8 | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 22.6 | -8.9% |
| 2017 | 25.2 | +11.5% |
| 2018 | 24 | -4.8% |
| 2019 | 22.8 | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 23.6 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 25.5 | +8.1% |
| 2022 | 29.1 | +14.1% |
| 2023 | 25.9 | -11.0% |
| 2024 | 24.5 | -5.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 24.5 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.7, 99% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 24.5 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 25.2, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 17.2 | 17.1 | 17.3 | 2 |
| 2000s | 24.4 | 22.5 | 25.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.26 | 22.6 | 26.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.72 | 23.6 | 29.1 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More environment data for Lesotho
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.1693 hectares per person (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.284 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 0.783 °C (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 13.18 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Sawnwood, coniferous — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho?
- Outdoor air pollution exposure in Lesotho was 24.5 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1 in 2022.
- What is the lowest outdoor air pollution exposure recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.1 in 1999.
- How does Lesotho rank for outdoor air pollution exposure?
- Lesotho ranks 63rd out of 241 countries with data for 2024.
- Is outdoor air pollution exposure rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Outdoor air pollution exposure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).