Lesotho (Kingdom of Lesotho)

https://www.humantruth.info/lesotho.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Lesotho Kingdom of Lesotho
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	131st best
Capital	Maseru
Land Area	30 360km²₁
Location	Africa
Population	2.1m₂
Life Expectancy	53.06yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$2 700 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	LS, LSO, 426₅
Internet Domain	.ls₆
Currency	Loti (LSL)₇
Telephone	+266₈

1. Overview

“Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parites saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Tiny Lesotho is Africa´s `Kingdom in the Sky´, home to traditional Basotho culture where herdboys tend their sheep on steep hillsides and horsemen wrapped in blankets ride mountain passes. Lesotho (Le- soo -too) is a vastly underrated travel destination. It´s beautiful, culturally rich, safe, cheap and easily accessible from Durban and Johannesburg. The hiking and trekking is world class and the national parks´ infrastructure continues to improve.
The 1000m-high `lowlands´ are the scene of low-key Lesotho life, with good craft shopping around Teyateyaneng and Maseru. But be sure to head to the valleys and mountains, where streams traverse an ancient dinosaur playground.
South Africa is just a mountain pass or two away, but Lesotho´s towering peaks and isolated valleys, and the pride of the Basotho in their identity, have served to insulate Lesotho´s culture from that of its larger neighbour. For anyone seeking adventure, wilderness, a laid-back pace and the chance to get acquainted with people living traditional lifestyles, Lesotho is a magical destination.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Lesotho National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
165	Rwanda	0.534
166=	Benin	0.525
166=	Uganda	0.525
168	Lesotho	0.514
169	Malawi	0.512
170	Senegal	0.511
171	Djibouti	0.509
172	Sudan	0.508
	Africa Avg	0.56
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
164	Vanuatu	$3 085
165	Congo, (Brazzaville)	$2 889
166	Haiti	$2 848
167	Lesotho	$2 700
168	Tanzania	$2 664
169	Solomon Islands	$2 482
170	Guinea	$2 481
171	Ethiopia	$2 361
	Africa Avg	$5 339
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Denmark	29.1
2	Norway	32.3
3	Sweden	34.1
	...
128	Uzbekistan	101.2
129	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	101.7
130	Honduras	101.9
131	Lesotho	102.2
132	Rwanda	102.9
133	Palau	103.2
134	Egypt	103.4
135	Madagascar	103.4
	Africa Avg	119.0
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

Progress is always going to be difficult in a country where the richest 10% hold 41% of the country's entire income₁₃.

3. Lesotho's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Lesotho's population is predicted to rise to 2.566 million by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 2.98. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₄

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
142	Gambia	2.3m
143	Botswana	2.3m
144	Gabon	2.1m
145	Lesotho	2.1m
146	Macedonia	2.1m
147	Slovenia	2.1m
148	Latvia	1.9m
149	Guinea-Bissau	1.9m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
188	Ivory Coast	58.6
189	Swaziland	57.1
190	Somalia	55.3
191	S. Sudan	55.0
192	Central African Rep.	53.9
193	Lesotho	53.1
194	Nigeria	52.7
195	Chad	52.5
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₅
Pos.		2022₁₅
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
144	Egypt	2.88
145	Israel	2.89
146	Singapore	1.04
147	Lesotho	2.98
148	British Virgin Islands	1.02
149	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	3.05
150	Kazakhstan	3.05
151	Puerto Rico	0.90
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₆
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₆
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
26	Iraq	06.0
27=	Guinea	06.1
27=	Guinea-Bissau	06.1
27=	Lesotho	06.1
27=	Kenya	06.1
31	S. Sudan	06.2
32=	Tanzania	06.2
32=	Sao Tome & Principe	06.2
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₇
Pos.		2017 %₁₇
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
180	Brazil	0.4%
181	Eritrea	0.3%
182	Somalia	0.3%
183	Lesotho	0.3%
184	Peru	0.3%
185	Colombia	0.3%
186	Morocco	0.3%
187	Philippines	0.2%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₈
Pos.		2010 %₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
26	Moldova	21.5%
27	Fiji	21.3%
28	Portugal	20.8%
29	Lesotho	20.5%
30	El Salvador	20.5%
31	Micronesia	19.7%
32	Belarus	18.4%
33	Eritrea	18.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Lesotho's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #lesotho #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #slavery #tolerance #women

Compared to Africa (2025)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Mauritius	63.7
2	S. Africa	64.3
3	Cape Verde	68.0
	...
7	Botswana	86.8
8	Ghana	92.3
9	Tunisia	95.2
10	Lesotho	100.4
11	Sao Tome & Principe	101.2
12	Burkina Faso	101.3
13	Mali	101.6
14	Benin	105.6
15	Kenya	106.8
	Africa Avg	110.04
q=54.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
113	Nepal	96.9
114	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	98.1
115	Vanuatu	98.7
116	Lesotho	100.4
117	Samoa	100.4
118	Azerbaijan	100.8
119	Sao Tome & Principe	101.2
120	Burkina Faso	101.3
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₂₀. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₂₀.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₂₀, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₂₀.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom Higher is better₂₁
Pos.		2025₂₁
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
103	Maldives	52.46
104	Burkina Faso	52.25
105	Zimbabwe	52.10
106	Lesotho	52.07
107	Chad	51.89
108	S. Sudan	51.63
109	Guinea-Bissau	51.36
110	Haiti	51.06
	Africa Avg	52.30
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Slavery Lower is better₂₂
Pos.		2018 % Victims₂₂
1	Japan	0.03
2=	Canada	0.05
2=	Taiwan	0.05
	...
83	Kyrgyzstan	0.41
84	Cyprus	0.42
85=	Kazakhstan	0.42
85=	Lesotho	0.42
87	Georgia	0.43
88=	Romania	0.43
89	Vietnam	0.45
90=	Azerbaijan	0.45
	Africa Avg	0.96
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better₂₃
Pos.		2014 Rank₂₃
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
92	Cape Verde	92
93	Botswana	93
94=	Liberia	94
94=	Lesotho	94
96	Kazakhstan	96
97	Ecuador	97
98	Kyrgyzstan	98
99	Tanzania	99
	Africa Avg	114.2
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
79	Solomon Islands	2.5
80=	Colombia	2.5
80=	Nauru	2.5
80=	Lesotho	2.5
80=	Namibia	2.5
80=	Brazil	2.5
80=	Bhutan	2.5
86	Liberia	3.0
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₂₄
Pos.		2009 Treaties₂₄
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
53	Switzerland	19
54=	UK	19
54=	Venezuela	19
54=	Lesotho	19
54=	Rwanda	19
54=	Finland	19
54=	Netherlands	19
54=	Nicaragua	19
	Africa Avg	14.8
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₅
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₅
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
79	Bangladesh	9.18
80	Sierra Leone	9.33
81	China	9.36
82	Lesotho	9.44
83	Gabon	9.47
84	Turkey	9.48
85	Malta	9.60
86	Luxembourg	9.67
	Africa Avg	9.88
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Lesotho stated:

“The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) dropped murder charges against the former prime minister and first lady. [...] Police brutality, including allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and an unlawful killing, remained a serious concern. Gender-based violence continued to rise while women were marginalized in the economic and political spheres. Access to healthcare was limited, particularly for women and girls in rural areas.”
"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)₂₆

Gender Equality:

Lesotho is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

Gender Inequality Lower is better₂₇
Pos.		2022₂₇
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
139	Tonga	0.55
140	Sudan	0.55
141	Cameroon	0.56
142	Lesotho	0.56
143	Iraq	0.56
144	Madagascar	0.57
145	Togo	0.58
146	Malawi	0.58
	Africa Avg	0.53
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Data starts in 2006, so the 2000s average may be a little skewed due to low number of datapoints.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
146=	Sudan	1964
146=	Libya	1964
146=	Papua New Guinea	1964
149	Lesotho	1965
150=	Botswana	1965
151	Tuvalu	1967
152=	Kiribati	1967
152=	Ecuador	1967
	Africa Avg	1961
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality Higher is better₂₈
Pos.		2017 Score₂₈
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
98=	Cambodia	15
98=	Vanuatu	15
98=	Congo, DR	15
98=	Lesotho	15
98=	Belize	15
98=	Belarus	15
98=	Kyrgyzstan	15
105	Jordan	12
	Africa Avg	-10.4
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₂₉
Pos.		2021₂₉
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
91	Mexico	3.0
92=	Tuvalu	3.0
92=	Australia	3.0
92=	Lesotho	3.0
92=	Switzerland	3.0
92=	El Salvador	3.0
92=	Serbia	3.0
92=	Cyprus	3.0
	Africa Avg	3.1
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Lesotho's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #lesotho #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #swaziland #vaccines

Compared to Africa (2025)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀
1	Mauritius	71.9
2	Tunisia	75.6
3	Morocco	88.2
	...
10	Rwanda	113.0
11	Botswana	118.5
12	Sao Tome & Principe	121.3
13	Lesotho	121.4
14=	Ghana	121.8
14=	S. Africa	121.8
16	Burundi	122.8
17	Gambia	124.0
18	Madagascar	126.0
	Africa Avg	111.13
q=54.

Health (2025)₃₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₀
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
152	Jordan	119.8
153	Honduras	121.0
154	Sao Tome & Principe	121.3
155	Lesotho	121.4
156	Palau	121.6
157=	Ghana	121.8
157=	S. Africa	121.8
159	Burundi	122.8
	World Avg	97.60
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Cook Islands, The Marshall Islands and Niue₃₁.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₃₁.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Lesotho has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Lesotho comes in the best 20 in terms of its smoking rate₃₂. It does better than average in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₃ (but bad for Africa) and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₄ (but high for Africa). Lesotho still has work to do. Lesotho does worse than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₅ (still good for Africa), its immunizations take-up₃₆ (still good for Africa), its fertility rate₁₅ (still low for Africa) and in its adolescent birth rate₃₇. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in terms of its average life expectancy₁₁ (amongst the lowest in Africa). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Lesotho in 2006-2012 was the worst in the world, hovering at 43-47yrs before improving in the 2010s. Life expectancy in Lesotho has declined by 5.2 years over 30 years from 1990 - the worst overall trend in the world, and one of only two countries with such a long-term reduction in longevity (the other is Eswatini at -2.5yrs). Lesotho's peak fertility rate was 5.93 in 1976.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
188	Ivory Coast	58.6
189	Swaziland	57.1
190	Somalia	55.3
191	S. Sudan	55.0
192	Central African Rep.	53.9
193	Lesotho	53.1
194	Nigeria	52.7
195	Chad	52.5
	Africa Avg	62.79
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₃₄
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₃₄
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
77=	Myanmar (Burma)	4.8
77=	Zambia	4.8
77=	Zimbabwe	4.8
80	Lesotho	5.0
81	Suriname	5.1
82	Nicaragua	5.2
83	Turkmenistan	5.4
84	Armenia	5.5
	Africa Avg	4.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₅
Pos.		2022₁₅
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
144	Egypt	2.88
145	Israel	2.89
146	Singapore	1.04
147	Lesotho	2.98
148	British Virgin Islands	1.02
149	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	3.05
150	Kazakhstan	3.05
151	Puerto Rico	0.90
	Africa Avg	3.97
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₃₂
Pos.		2014₃₂
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
14	Mozambique	82
15	Nepal	83
16	Afghanistan	84
17	Lesotho	88
18	Trinidad & Tobago	97
19	Burundi	98
20	Tanzania	101
21	Liberia	104
	Africa Avg	340
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
97	Guyana	97
98	Colombia	98
99	Vietnam	99
100	Lesotho	100
101	Tanzania	101
102	Equatorial Guinea	102
103	Barbados	103
104	Venezuela	104
	Africa Avg	117.0
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		1976 %₃₃
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
58	Gabon	12.9
59	Botswana	13.6
60	Japan	15.2
61	Lesotho	15.4
62	Namibia	15.7
63	Swaziland	15.8
64	Zimbabwe	16.3
65=	N. Korea	16.8
	Africa Avg	13.4
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better₃₈
Pos.		2022 %₃₈
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
69	Maldives	17.6%
70	Afghanistan	17.6%
71	Spain	19.2%
72	Lesotho	19.3%
73	Kazakhstan	19.3%
74	Mauritius	19.5%
75	Norway	19.8%
76	Vanuatu	19.9%
	Africa Avg	13.7%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₇
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₇
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
166	Venezuela	82.0
167	Nicaragua	84.0
168	Guinea-Bissau	85.8
169	Lesotho	89.1
170	Gabon	89.8
171	Benin	90.8
172	Zimbabwe	92.6
173	S. Sudan	97.4
	Africa Avg	84.6
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₃₆
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₆
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
108=	Australia	92.1
108=	Barbados	92.1
110	Ghana	91.7
111=	Lesotho	91.7
112	Malawi	91.7
113	Mexico	91.6
114	Moldova	91.5
115	Iceland	91.5
	Africa Avg	81.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Lesotho's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Africa (2025)₃₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₉
1	Morocco	46.5
2	Burundi	47.8
3	Mali	51.0
	...
16	Burkina Faso	63.1
17	Gambia	63.3
18	Senegal	63.4
19	Lesotho	66.1
20	Guinea	67.1
21	Ivory Coast	70.8
22	Togo	71.1
23	Congo, DR	73.0
24	Swaziland	74.2
	Africa Avg	80.07
q=53.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₃₉
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₉
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
46	Ecuador	65.6
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
50	Mexico	66.3
51	Norway	66.9
52	Guinea	67.1
53	El Salvador	67.4
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₀. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Lesotho ranks 49th in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 21 data sets. Lesotho does better than average in reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₁, energy to GDP efficiency₄₂ (but high for Africa) and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₃. But, there's bad news too. Lesotho does worse than average for its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in its environmental performance₄₄ (one of the worst in Africa).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₄₃
Pos.		Total₄₃
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
121=	S. Sudan	0.0%
121=	Curaço	0.0%
121=	Turks & Caicos Islands	0.0%
121=	Lesotho	0.0%
121=	Anguilla	0.0%
121=	Jersey	0.0%
121=	Maldives	0.0%
121=	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.0%
	Africa Avg	-8.7%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₄₄
Pos.		2018₄₄
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
170	Angola	37.4
171	Central African Rep.	36.4
172	Niger	35.7
173	Lesotho	33.8
174	Haiti	33.7
175	Madagascar	33.7
176	Nepal	31.4
177	India	30.6
	Africa Avg	46.4
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better₄₂
Pos.		2022 Avg₄₂
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
76	Hungary	1.01
77	Poland	1.01
78	Montenegro	1.03
79	Lesotho	1.03
80	Mauritius	1.03
81	Macedonia	1.04
82	Austria	1.04
83	Japan	1.05
	Africa Avg	0.83
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
139	Saudi Arabia	52%
140	Central African Rep.	52%
141	Mauritania	51%
142	Lesotho	51%
143	Croatia	51%
144	Djibouti	51%
145	Gabon	51%
146	Fiji	51%
	Africa Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₄₁
Pos.		2021 kg₄₁
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
44	Liberia	20.3
45	Ghana	20.9
46	Haiti	21.6
47	Lesotho	21.7
48	Thailand	26.0
49	Swaziland	27.1
50	Malawi	27.4
51	Tunisia	27.8
	Africa Avg	24.9
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

7. Lesotho's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #research #science #technology #the_internet

Compared to Africa (2020)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₅
1	S. Africa	56.9
2	Tunisia	70.8
3=	Mauritius	79.6
	...
26	Ethiopia	128.3
27	Ivory Coast	132.4
28	Senegal	132.6
29	Lesotho	133.7
30	Angola	133.8
31	Congo, (Brazzaville)	135.5
32	Burkina Faso	136.5
33	Liberia	136.6
34	Benin	138.3
	Africa Avg	120.19
q=53.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₄₅
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₄₅
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
155	Ivory Coast	132.4
156	Senegal	132.6
157	Micronesia	133.6
158	Lesotho	133.7
159	Angola	133.8
160	Congo, (Brazzaville)	135.5
161	Burkina Faso	136.5
162	Liberia	136.6
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₆. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₆. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₇.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₄₈

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₆, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₆.

For more, see:

"Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₄₉
2	Israel	4.11₄₉
3	Japan	3.58₄₉
	...
119=	Honduras	0.04₅₀
119=	Guatemala	0.04₅₁
119=	Bahrain	0.04₅₂
119=	Colombia	0.04₅₂
123	Iraq	0.03₅₃
124=	El Salvador	0.03₅₁
124=	China	0.03₅₂
126	Lesotho	0.01₅₃
	Africa Avg	0.36
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better₅₄
Pos.		2018₅₄
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
140	Morocco	32.2%
141	Uganda	32.1%
142	Angola	30.2%
143	Lesotho	30.0%
144	Cape Verde	29.9%
145	Liberia	29.0%
146	Yemen	28.0%
147	Benin	26.5%
	Africa Avg	34.4%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₅₅
Pos.		2021 Years₅₅
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
135	Zimbabwe	12.1
136	Iraq	12.1
137	Ghana	12.0
138	Lesotho	12.0
139	Namibia	11.9
140	Comoros	11.9
141	India	11.9
142	Kiribati	11.8
	Africa Avg	11.0
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
145	Qatar	145
146	Philippines	146
147	Mozambique	147
148	Lesotho	148
149	Venezuela	149
150	Libya	150
151	Gabon	151
152	Sierra Leone	152
	Africa Avg	106.4
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₅₆
Pos.		2016₅₆
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
147	Libya	21%
148	Zimbabwe	21%
149	Equatorial Guinea	21%
150	Lesotho	21%
151	Indonesia	20%
152	Marshall Islands	20%
153	Algeria	20%
154	Nicaragua	19%
	Africa Avg	18.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₅₇
Pos.		2017 Ratio₅₇
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
146=	Papua New Guinea	0.0
146=	French Polynesia	0.0
146=	Palestine	0.0
146=	Lesotho	0.0
146=	Monaco	0.0
146=	Bermuda	0.0
146=	Isle of Man	0.0
146=	San Marino	0.0
	Africa Avg	0.04
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

8. Lesotho's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#afghanistan #capitalism #charitability #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #lebanon #life_expectancy #malawi #namibia #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to Africa (2020)₅₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₅₈
1	Mauritius	48.3
2	Sao Tome & Principe	67.7
3	Tunisia	74.9
	...
19	Egypt	93.6
20	Mauritania	95.5
21	Liberia	95.9
22	Lesotho	96.4
23	Togo	97.0
24	Kenya	97.8
25	Uganda	97.9
26	Gabon	100.3
27	Rwanda	100.8
	Africa Avg	101.84
q=53.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)₅₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₅₈
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
129	Liberia	95.9
130	Bangladesh	95.9
131	Honduras	96.1
132	Lesotho	96.4
133	Turkmenistan	96.7
134	Togo	97.0
135	Kenya	97.8
136	Uganda	97.9
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

"Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture:

Corruption Higher is better₅₉
Pos.		2022 Points₅₉
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
97	Tanzania	38.0
98=	Morocco	38.0
99	Ivory Coast	37.0
100=	Lesotho	37.0
101	Serbia	36.0
102=	Peru	36.0
102=	Turkey	36.0
102=	Sri Lanka	36.0
	Africa Avg	32.31
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better₆₀
Pos.		2024 Score₆₀
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
135	Egypt	3.8
136	Tanzania	3.8
137	Swaziland	3.8
138	Lesotho	3.8
139	Comoros	3.8
140	Yemen	3.6
141	Congo, DR	3.5
142	Botswana	3.4
	Africa Avg	4.42
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

After a few years of steady decline, temporarily became the 3^rd unhappiest country in the world in 2023, after Afghanistan and the Lebanon.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
105	Bahrain	105
106	Ecuador	106
107	Uganda	107
108	Lesotho	108
109	Georgia	109
110	Kuwait	110
111	China	111
112	Swaziland	112
	Africa Avg	117.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
64	Honduras	64
65	S. Korea	65
66	Benin	66
67	Lesotho	67
68	Panama	68
69	New Zealand	69
70	Tunisia	70
71	Montenegro	71
	Africa Avg	96.7
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better₆₁
Pos.		2023 Score₆₁
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
108	Bahrain	2.15
109	Swaziland	2.17
110	Benin	2.18
111	Lesotho	2.19
112	Djibouti	2.20
113	Congo, (Brazzaville)	2.21
114	Mauritania	2.23
115	Philippines	2.23
	Africa Avg	2.29
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
99	Lithuania	99
100	Luxembourg	100
101	Niger	101
102	Lesotho	102
103	Antigua & Barbuda	103
104	Latvia	104
105	Laos	105
106	Mozambique	106
	Africa Avg	83.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better₃₅
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₅
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
115	Iraq	115
116	Dominica	116
117	Saudi Arabia	117
118	Lesotho	118
119	Oman	119
120	Egypt	120
121	Colombia	121
122	Honduras	122
	Africa Avg	104.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better₆₂
Pos.		2019 Score₆₂
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
21	UAE	0.05
22	Slovakia	0.06
23	Norway	0.08
24	Lesotho	0.10
25	Liberia	0.11
26=	Moldova	0.12
26=	Serbia	0.12
26=	Estonia	0.12
	Africa Avg	3.41
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₆₃
Pos.		2019₆₃
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
169	Angola	32.00
170	Haiti	32.20
171	Guinea-Bissau	32.30
172	Lesotho	33.10
173	Ivory Coast	33.30
174	Cameroon	33.50
175	Equatorial Guinea	34.60
176	Benin	34.90
	Africa Avg	26.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better₆₄
Pos.		2023 %₆₄
1	Slovakia	24.1%₆₅
2	Slovenia	24.3%₆₅
3	Belarus	24.4%₆₆
	...
145	Ecuador	44.6%₆₇
146=	Congo, DR	44.7%₆₆
146=	Venezuela	44.7%₆₈
148	Lesotho	44.9%₆₉
149	Paraguay	45.1%₇₀
150	Comoros	45.3%₇₁
151	Nicaragua	46.2%₇₁
152	Costa Rica	46.7%₆₇
	Africa Avg	40.7%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Lesotho - only for 4 years between 1980 and 2019. But it always scores poorly compared to the rest of the world; in the 1980s it was the 5th-most-unequal country (of 63 measured) and in the 1990s was 3rd-worse of 117 (only Namibia and Malawi were worse).

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better₇₂
Pos.		2018 Severity₇₂
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
54	Guatemala	.134
55	Zimbabwe	.137
56	Ghana	.138
57	Lesotho	.146
58	Nepal	.148
59	Cambodia	.170
60	Namibia	.171
61	Vanuatu	.174
	Africa Avg	.264
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₃:

Christian	96.8%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	3.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states simply: Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%₇₄.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems