Share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of women who are married or in a union was 9.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho, 1970–2021
Source: United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho is 9.6%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 52 years on record.
The figure is down 5.5% on the previous year and down 36.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho peaked at 29.0% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 9.6%, in 2021.
Lesotho ranks 79th of 221 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 29.0% | — |
| 1971 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 29.0% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 28.6% | -1.3% |
| 1978 | 28.3% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 27.9% | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 27.5% | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 27.1% | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 26.7% | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 26.3% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 25.9% | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 25.6% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 25.2% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 24.8% | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 24.4% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 24.0% | -1.6% |
| 1990 | 23.6% | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 23.2% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 22.9% | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 22.5% | -1.7% |
| 1994 | 22.1% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 21.7% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 21.3% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 20.9% | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 20.5% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 20.2% | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 19.4% | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 19.0% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 18.2% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 17.8% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 17.5% | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 17.1% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 16.3% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 15.7% | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 15.2% | -3.5% |
| 2012 | 14.6% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 14.1% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 13.5% | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 12.9% | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 12.4% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 11.8% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 11.3% | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 10.2% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 9.6% | -5.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 28.8% | 27.9% | 29.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.8% | 24.0% | 27.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.9% | 20.2% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.0% | 16.3% | 19.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.2% | 10.7% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.9% | 9.6% | 10.2% | 2 |
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 who are married or in a union in Lesotho?
- Share of women who are married or in a union in Lesotho was 9.6% in 2021, according to United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of women who are married or in a union recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 29.0% in 1970.
- What is the lowest share of women who are married or in a union recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.6% in 2021.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of women who are married or in a union?
- Lesotho ranks 79th out of 221 countries with data for 2021.
- Is share of women who are married or in a union rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of women who are married or in a union. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of women aged 15-19 sharing a household with their partner, whether married, cohabiting, in consensual partnerships, or in other non-marital unions.