Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho
Lesotho: Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.69 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
72nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.87 live births per woman
in 1976
All-time low
2.69 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.69 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho peaked at 5.87 live births per woman in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.69 live births per woman, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 72nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.7 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 5.72 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 5.73 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 5.75 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 5.79 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 5.78 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.78 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 5.76 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.77 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 5.76 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.75 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 5.72 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 5.7 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.69 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.69 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 5.75 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.83 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 5.87 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.85 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.82 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 5.79 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 5.75 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.69 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 5.63 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 5.56 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.48 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.4 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 5.32 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.22 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.1 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 4.96 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 4.81 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 4.68 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 4.54 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 4.37 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.21 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 4.12 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 4.06 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.98 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.81 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.67 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 3.6 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.63 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 3.68 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.62 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.51 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.43 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.41 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.44 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.39 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.31 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.25 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.34 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 3.28 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.24 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.22 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.18 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.1 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.02 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.92 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 2.85 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.77 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.72 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.76 live births per woman | 5.7 live births per woman | 5.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.76 live births per woman | 5.7 live births per woman | 5.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.77 live births per woman | 5.69 live births per woman | 5.87 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.41 live births per woman | 4.96 live births per woman | 5.75 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.23 live births per woman | 3.67 live births per woman | 4.81 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5 live births per woman | 3.31 live births per woman | 3.68 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.19 live births per woman | 2.92 live births per woman | 3.34 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.76 live births per woman | 2.69 live births per woman | 2.85 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 69 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.72 live births per woman compare
- 70 Syrian Arab Republic 2.71 live births per woman compare
- 71 Timor-Leste 2.71 live births per woman compare
- 73 Turkmenistan 2.69 live births per woman compare
- 74 Mongolia 2.69 live births per woman compare
- 75 Haiti 2.66 live births per woman compare
More education data for Lesotho
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5,672 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 30,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 22,924 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23,698 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 136,497 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 309,480 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8093 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1324 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho?
- Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education in Lesotho was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. share of women with no education recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 live births per woman in 1976.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. share of women with no education recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for fertility rate vs. share of women with no education?
- Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate vs. share of women with no education rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. share of women with no education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.