Prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Prevalence of obesity, female was 36.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository. Measured in % of female population ages 18+.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 36.0% for prevalence of obesity, female in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho peaked at 36.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 10.9%, in 1980.
Lesotho ranks 57th of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of female population ages 18+ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.9% | — |
| 1981 | 11.1% | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 11.4% | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 11.6% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 11.9% | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 12.2% | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 12.4% | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 12.7% | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 13.0% | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 13.4% | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 13.7% | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 14.0% | +2.5% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 14.8% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 15.6% | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 16.0% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 16.5% | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 17.1% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 17.6% | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 18.2% | +3.3% |
| 2001 | 18.8% | +3.3% |
| 2002 | 19.4% | +3.3% |
| 2003 | 20.1% | +3.3% |
| 2004 | 20.8% | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 21.4% | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 22.7% | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 23.4% | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 24.1% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 24.8% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 25.5% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 26.2% | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 27.0% | +2.9% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 28.6% | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 29.4% | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 30.2% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 31.1% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 31.9% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 32.7% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 33.5% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 34.4% | +2.4% |
| 2023 | 35.2% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 36.0% | +2.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 36.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 23.9%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 36.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.1%, 2.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.1% | 10.9% | 13.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.5% | 13.7% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.1% | 18.2% | 24.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.3% | 24.8% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.4% | 32.7% | 36.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 54 Dominican Republic 37.2% compare
- 55 Trinidad and Tobago 36.8% compare
- 56 Georgia 36.1% compare
- 58 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 35.9% compare
- 59 New Zealand 35.7% compare
- 60 Türkiye 35.2% compare
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 prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho?
- Prevalence of obesity, female in Lesotho was 36.0% in 2024, according to World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository.
- What is the highest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 36.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest prevalence of obesity, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.9% in 1980.
- How does Lesotho rank for prevalence of obesity, female?
- Lesotho ranks 57th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of obesity, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (WHO):Global Health Observatory Data Repository, published as part of Prevalence of obesity, female (% of female population ages 18+). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Prevalence of obesity adult is the percentage of adults ages 18 and over whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is 30 kg/m² or higher. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a simple index of weight-for-height, or the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.