Share of female workers by sector in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of female workers by sector was 19.82 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
19.82
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
76th
of 186 countries
All-time high
21.02
in 2021
All-time low
15.38
in 1996
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Share of female workers by sector in Lesotho, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 19.82 for share of female workers by sector in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and up 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female workers by sector in Lesotho peaked at 21.02 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 15.38, in 1996.
That places Lesotho 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of female workers by sector in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 16.97 | — |
| 1992 | 16.76 | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 16.45 | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 16.09 | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 15.85 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 15.38 | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 15.77 | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 16.57 | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 17.35 | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 17.57 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 17.83 | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 18.01 | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 18 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 18.27 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 18.17 | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 17.86 | -1.7% |
| 2007 | 17.79 | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 17.61 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 17.85 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 17.72 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 17.65 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 17.46 | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 17.59 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 17.57 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 17.57 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 17.62 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 18.2 | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 18.53 | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 18.38 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 19.96 | +8.6% |
| 2021 | 21.02 | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 20.59 | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 20.42 | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 20.07 | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 19.82 | -1.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 19.82 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 34.86, 57% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 19.82 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.81, 44% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.35 | 15.38 | 17.35 | 9 |
| 2000s | 17.9 | 17.57 | 18.27 | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.83 | 17.46 | 18.53 | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.31 | 19.82 | 21.02 | 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 share of female workers by sector in Lesotho?
- Share of female workers by sector in Lesotho was 19.82 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of female workers by sector recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 21.02 in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of female workers by sector recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.38 in 1996.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of female workers by sector?
- Lesotho ranks 76th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of female workers by sector rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.9%. 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 Share of female workers by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).