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Lesotho — Labor participation
Labor Force Participation Rate for Lesotho, 1990–2025.
Latest value · 2025
57.12%
Labor Force Participation Rate · % of population ages 15+ · -22.5% since 1990
Labor participation for Lesotho was 57.12% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 36 years, from 1990 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 73.67% in 1990. The lowest was 56.80% in 2021 (about 1.0× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -0.72% per year.
Lesotho ranks 128 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 68%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 64.31%, so Lesotho sits below it. It peaked in 1990 and has fallen 22% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 9%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
57.12%
First (1990)
73.67%
Change
-22.5%
Highest
73.67%
in 1990
Lowest
56.80%
in 2021
Average
66.86%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-0.72%
Years of data
36
Recent years
| Year | % of population ages 15+ |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 57.12% |
| 2024 | 57.42% |
| 2023 | 57.46% |
| 2022 | 57.5% |
| 2021 | 56.8% |
| 2020 | 57.11% |
| 2019 | 57.66% |
| 2018 | 58.96% |
| 2017 | 60.24% |
| 2016 | 61.52% |
| 2015 | 62.78% |
| 2014 | 64.02% |
Reading this correctly. Proportion of the population aged 15 and above that is economically active: supplying labor for the production of goods and services. Figures are in % of population ages 15+. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.TLF.CACT.ZS — Labor Force Participation Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.