Share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of women using contraceptives was 67.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho, 1977–2024
Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of women ages 15-49.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 67.4% for share of women using contraceptives in 2024. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho peaked at 67.4% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.0%, in 1977.
Lesotho ranks 26th of 116 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of women ages 15-49 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 6.0% | — |
| 1995 | 28.6% | +376.7% |
| 2000 | 30.4% | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 40.6% | +33.4% |
| 2002 | 38.0% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 37.3% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 47.0% | +26.0% |
| 2011 | 63.4% | +34.9% |
| 2014 | 60.2% | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 64.9% | +7.9% |
| 2024 | 67.4% | +3.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.0% | 6.0% | 6.0% | 1 |
| 1990s | 28.6% | 28.6% | 28.6% | 1 |
| 2000s | 38.7% | 30.4% | 47.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 62.9% | 60.2% | 64.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 67.4% | 67.4% | 67.4% | 1 |
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)
- 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)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 26,150 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 25,706 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 26,127 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho?
- Share of women using contraceptives in Lesotho was 67.4% in 2024, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women using contraceptives recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.0% in 1977.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of women using contraceptives?
- Lesotho ranks 26th out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women using contraceptives rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), and UN Population Division, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women using contraceptives. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Contraceptive prevalence rate is the percentage of women who are practicing, or whose sexual partners are practicing, any form of contraception. It is usually measured for women ages 15-49 who are married or in union.