Labor force, female in Lesotho

Lesotho: Labor force, female was 43.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
43.8%
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
109th
of 186 countries
All-time high
48.4%
in 1999
All-time low
43.8%
in 2025
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Labor force, female in Lesotho, 1990–2025

010203040501990200720251990: 47.2 % of total labor force1991: 47.2 % of total labor force1992: 47.3 % of total labor force1993: 47.4 % of total labor force1994: 47.5 % of total labor force1995: 47.7 % of total labor force1996: 47.8 % of total labor force1997: 48 % of total labor force1998: 48.2 % of total labor force1999: 48.4 % of total labor force2000: 48.2 % of total labor force2001: 48.1 % of total labor force2002: 47.9 % of total labor force2003: 47.7 % of total labor force2004: 47.5 % of total labor force2005: 47.4 % of total labor force2006: 47.2 % of total labor force2007: 47 % of total labor force2008: 46.9 % of total labor force2009: 46.7 % of total labor force2010: 46.5 % of total labor force2011: 46.3 % of total labor force2012: 46.2 % of total labor force2013: 46 % of total labor force2014: 45.7 % of total labor force2015: 45.5 % of total labor force2016: 45.2 % of total labor force2017: 44.9 % of total labor force2018: 44.6 % of total labor force2019: 44.4 % of total labor force2020: 44.3 % of total labor force2021: 44.3 % of total labor force2022: 44 % of total labor force2023: 43.9 % of total labor force2024: 44 % of total labor force2025: 43.8 % of total labor force

Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 43.8% for labor force, female in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 3.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, labor force, female in Lesotho peaked at 48.4% in 1999 and was at its lowest, 43.8%, in 2025.

That places Lesotho 109th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 47.7% 47.2% 48.4% 10
2000s 47.5% 46.7% 48.2% 10
2010s 45.5% 44.4% 46.5% 10
2020s 44.1% 43.8% 44.3% 6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 106 Singapore 44.1% compare
  2. 107 Cameroon 43.9% compare
  3. 108 Mongolia 43.9% compare
  4. 110 Cape Verde 43.6% compare
  5. 111 Brazil 43.4% compare
  6. 112 Cote d'Ivoire 43.4% compare

See the full ranking of 234 places →

More education data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is labor force, female in Lesotho?
Labor force, female in Lesotho was 43.8% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 48.4% in 1999.
What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 43.8% in 2025.
How does Lesotho rank for labor force, female?
Lesotho ranks 109th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is labor force, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, female (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Labor force, female (% of total labor force)
Unit
% of total labor force
Source
International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
234 places, 8,410 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

Female labor force as a percentage of the total show the extent to which women are active in the labor force. Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.