What is cereal production in Lesotho?

Cereal production in Lesotho was 143,080 metric tons in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

What is the highest cereal production recorded in Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 288,249 metric tons in 1978.

What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 25,678 metric tons in 2016.

How does Lesotho rank for cereal production?

Lesotho ranks 140th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.

Is cereal production rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Lesotho data come from?

The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Cereal production in Lesotho

Name: Cereal production in Lesotho
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

Lesotho: Cereal production was 143,080 metric tons in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

143,080 metric tons

Change on year

up 73.5%

World rank

140th

of 181 countries

All-time high

288,249 metric tons

in 1978

All-time low

25,678 metric tons

in 2016

Years of data

1961–2023

Cereal production in Lesotho, 1961–2023

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in metric tons.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 143,080 metric tons for cereal production in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 73.5% on the previous year and up 33.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cereal production in Lesotho peaked at 288,249 metric tons in 1978 and was at its lowest, 25,678 metric tons, in 2016.

Lesotho ranks 140th of 181 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	219,726 metric tons	211,684 metric tons	226,648 metric tons	9
1970s	194,159 metric tons	104,350 metric tons	288,249 metric tons	10
1980s	162,514 metric tons	123,097 metric tons	233,910 metric tons	10
1990s	166,974 metric tons	67,254 metric tons	257,418 metric tons	10
2000s	119,824 metric tons	71,887 metric tons	254,960 metric tons	10
2010s	111,914 metric tons	25,678 metric tons	216,012 metric tons	10
2020s	88,092 metric tons	28,530 metric tons	143,080 metric tons	4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

137 Belize 160,169 metric tons compare
138 Namibia 153,012 metric tons compare
139 Luxembourg 148,070 metric tons compare
141 Lebanon 133,418 metric tons compare
142 Gambia 128,972 metric tons compare
143 Eswatini 87,173 metric tons compare

See the full ranking of 228 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho

Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Rural population 55.3% (2025)
Rural population growth -0.7% (2025)
Rural population 1.31 million (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 6.5% (2025)
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 166.92 million current US$ (2025)
Land under cereal production 177,933 hectares (2023)
Cereal yield 804.1 kg per hectare (2023)
Fertilizer consumption 8.7 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is cereal production in Lesotho?: Cereal production in Lesotho was 143,080 metric tons in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest cereal production recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 288,249 metric tons in 1978.
What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 25,678 metric tons in 2016.
How does Lesotho rank for cereal production?: Lesotho ranks 140th out of 181 countries with data for 2023.
Is cereal production rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is up 33.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?: The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Cereal production (metric tons). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator: Cereal production (metric tons)
Unit: metric tons
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 228 places, 13,401 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.