Lesotho — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Lesotho, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Lesotho was 16.32% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 18.39% in 2020. The lowest was 15.45% in 1992 (about 1.1× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 0.15% per year.
Lesotho ranks 14 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 7%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Lesotho sits above it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 11% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved up 1%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 8 of 47 economies; Angola (14.11%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 9% in 2020. That is 3% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Climbed: 27th of 187 in 1991 → 21st of 187 in 2000 → 25th of 187 in 2010 → 14th of 187 in 2020 → 13th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16.32% | -0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 16.34% | -0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 16.35% | -0.3 pp |
| 2022 | 16.62% | -1.6 pp |
| 2021 | 18.21% | -0.2 pp |
| 2020 | 18.39% | +1.5 pp |
| 2019 | 16.88% | +0.3 pp |
| 2018 | 16.61% | +0.2 pp |
| 2017 | 16.38% | +0.2 pp |
| 2016 | 16.14% | -0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 16.22% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 16.07% | +0.1 pp |
| 2013 | 15.93% | +0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 15.76% | -0.4 pp |
| 2011 | 16.11% | +0.0 pp |
| 2010 | 16.07% | -0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 16.11% | +0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 15.85% | -0.1 pp |
| 2007 | 15.94% | -0.1 pp |
| 2006 | 16.05% | +0.0 pp |
| 2005 | 16.03% | -0.1 pp |
| 2004 | 16.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 2003 | 16.06% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 16.08% | -0.0 pp |
| 2001 | 16.08% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 16.17% | +0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 16.17% | +0.3 pp |
| 1998 | 15.91% | +0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 15.82% | +0.1 pp |
| 1996 | 15.71% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 15.8% | +0.2 pp |
| 1994 | 15.62% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 15.57% | +0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 15.45% | -0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 15.5% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Lesotho’s Unemployment in 1992?
15.45% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Lesotho’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +5.3% in total — about 0.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 16.32%; 2024: 16.34%; 2023: 16.35%; 2022: 16.62%; 2021: 18.21%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment 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.