Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Lesotho stood at 2.69 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.69 live births per woman is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 live births per woman, 86% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.69 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
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 Syria 2.71 live births per woman compare
- 71 East Timor 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 women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Lesotho?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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 women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 live births per woman in 1976.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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 Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate. 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.