Share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of women who are overweight or obese was 59.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho is 59.5%, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho peaked at 59.5% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 43.6%, in 1980.
That places Lesotho 83rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 43.6% | — |
| 1981 | 43.8% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 44.0% | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 44.2% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 44.5% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 44.7% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 44.9% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 45.1% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 45.3% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 45.6% | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 45.8% | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 46.0% | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 46.2% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 46.4% | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 46.7% | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 46.9% | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 47.2% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 47.5% | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 47.8% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 48.1% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 48.5% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 48.9% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 49.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 49.8% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 50.2% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 50.6% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 51.0% | +0.8% |
| 2007 | 51.5% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 51.9% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 52.3% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 52.7% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 53.1% | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 53.6% | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 54.1% | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 54.6% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 55.1% | +1.0% |
| 2016 | 55.6% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 56.2% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 56.7% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 57.1% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 57.6% | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 58.1% | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 58.6% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 59.0% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 59.5% | +0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 59.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 53.3%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 59.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 42.8%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.6% | 43.6% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.9% | 45.8% | 48.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 50.4% | 48.5% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.9% | 52.7% | 57.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.6% | 57.6% | 59.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 80 Equatorial Guinea 60.4% compare
- 81 Cuba 59.9% compare
- 82 Malaysia 59.6% compare
- 84 Pakistan 59.3% compare
- 85 Papua New Guinea 58.8% compare
- 86 North Macedonia 58.6% 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 share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho?
- Share of women who are overweight or obese in Lesotho was 59.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 59.5% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of women who are overweight or obese recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.6% in 1980.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of women who are overweight or obese?
- Lesotho ranks 83rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of women who are overweight or obese rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are overweight or obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
A person is defined as overweight if they have a body-mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by his height in meters squared.