Human Development Index in Lesotho
Lesotho: Human Development Index was 0.55 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Human Development Index in Lesotho, 1990–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, human development index in Lesotho stood at 0.55. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human development index in Lesotho peaked at 0.55 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.451, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 167th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.475 | 0.462 | 0.483 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.4578 | 0.451 | 0.468 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.5123 | 0.478 | 0.541 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5415 | 0.532 | 0.55 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.1655 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.4066 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 49.97 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.1551 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 54.13 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 61.47 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -0.2589 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human development index in Lesotho?
- Human development index in Lesotho was 0.55 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human development index recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.55 in 2023.
- What is the lowest human development index recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.451 in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for human development index?
- Lesotho ranks 167th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is human development index rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Development Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, a good education, and a decent standard of living. Higher values indicate higher human development.