Poverty at the national line in Lesotho in 2017 — 49.7%. Ranked 52 in the world out of 53. Since 1986, the indicator has risen by 2.9 pp.
1986–2017 · % of population
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 49.7 | — |
| 2002 | 56.6 | — |
| 1994 | 66.6 | +17.4 pp |
| 1993 | 49.2 | — |
| 1986 | 46.8 | — |
The share of the population below the national poverty line — the one a country has defined in its legislation or in the methodology of its statistical office. The indicator answers a question the international lines do not ask: how many people are poor by the standards of their own society. That is exactly why it is unfit for comparing countries with one another — yet it shows better than any other indicator how a country assesses poverty at home, and it is what the results of national policy are judged by.
Important: There are no aggregates for country groups, and this is not a gap: poverty lines differ between countries, and a sum of shares computed against different lines has no definition. For comparing countries there are the three international lines.
Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank), license CC BY 4.0.
The share of the population living on less than $2.15 a day at PPP.
Labor Poverty at $3.65 a dayThe share of people living on less than $3.65 a day — the line for lower-middle-income countries.
Labor Poverty at $6.85 a dayThe share of people living on less than $6.85 a day — the line for upper-middle-income countries.
Labor Unemployment rateThe share of the labor force that is looking for work and available to start.
Labor Youth unemploymentThe unemployment rate at ages 15–24 — almost always two to three times the overall rate.
