Labor force, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Labor force, female was 389,878 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Labor force, female in Lesotho, 1990–2025
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
Analysis
The most recent figure for labor force, female in Lesotho is 389,878, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Lesotho peaked at 423,131 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 359,082, in 1990.
That places Lesotho 147th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 359,082 | — |
| 1991 | 365,892 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 373,061 | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 380,523 | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 388,238 | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 396,069 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 403,560 | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 410,589 | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 417,226 | +1.6% |
| 1999 | 423,131 | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 422,792 | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 421,253 | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 418,714 | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 415,108 | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 410,216 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 404,122 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 399,712 | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 398,311 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 397,371 | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 396,048 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 394,625 | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 393,350 | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 392,320 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 391,311 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 386,021 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 380,654 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 375,517 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 370,783 | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 366,183 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 361,291 | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 363,222 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 366,847 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 373,827 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 379,807 | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 386,416 | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 389,878 | +0.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 389,878 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.10 million, 19% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 389,878 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.51 million, 16% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 391,737 | 359,082 | 423,131 | 10 |
| 2000s | 408,365 | 396,048 | 422,792 | 10 |
| 2010s | 381,206 | 361,291 | 394,625 | 10 |
| 2020s | 376,666 | 363,222 | 389,878 | 6 |
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 labor force, female in Lesotho?
- Labor force, female in Lesotho was 389,878 in 2025, according to World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 423,131 in 1999.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 359,082 in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for labor force, female?
- Lesotho ranks 147th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, World Development Indicators database. Estimates are based on data obtained from International Labour Organization and United Nations Population Division, published as part of Labor force, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female labor force comprises women ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.