Age at first marriage, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Age at first marriage, female was 22.2 in 2014. ▲ Rising
Age at first marriage, female in Lesotho, 1966–2014
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
Analysis
The most recent figure for age at first marriage, female in Lesotho is 22.2, measured in 2014.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 9.0% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age at first marriage, female in Lesotho peaked at 24.4 in 2011 and was at its lowest, 19.4, in 1977.
That places Lesotho 118th out of 166 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Age at first marriage, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 20.3 | — |
| 1976 | 20.1 | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 19.4 | -3.5% |
| 1986 | 21.3 | +9.8% |
| 1996 | 23.2 | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 21.7 | -6.5% |
| 2001 | 23.9 | +10.1% |
| 2002 | 21.9 | -8.4% |
| 2004 | 22.5 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 24.1 | +7.1% |
| 2009 | 22.5 | -6.6% |
| 2011 | 24.4 | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 22.2 | -9.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 22.2 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 21.9, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 22.2 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.85, 1.0× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.3 | 20.3 | 20.3 | 1 |
| 1970s | 19.75 | 19.4 | 20.1 | 2 |
| 1980s | 21.3 | 21.3 | 21.3 | 1 |
| 1990s | 23.2 | 23.2 | 23.2 | 1 |
| 2000s | 22.77 | 21.7 | 24.1 | 6 |
| 2010s | 23.3 | 22.2 | 24.4 | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More gender data for Lesotho
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 786.22 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5717 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1,708 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1,708 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 26,291 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 26,787 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 25,880 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 26,319 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 25,717 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age at first marriage, female in Lesotho?
- Age at first marriage, female in Lesotho was 22.2 in 2014, according to United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019.
- What is the highest age at first marriage, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4 in 2011.
- What is the lowest age at first marriage, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.4 in 1977.
- How does Lesotho rank for age at first marriage, female?
- Lesotho ranks 118th out of 166 countries with data for 2014.
- Is age at first marriage, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Marriage Data 2019, published as part of Age at first marriage, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Mean age at marriage, female shows the average length of single life expressed in years among those females who marry before age 50. It is a synthetic indicator calculated from marital status categories of men and women aged 15 to 54 at the census or survey date.