Food insecurity — all countries

Food insecurity — Lesotho

Food insecurity in Lesotho in 2023 — 59.9%. Ranked 115 in the world out of 134. Since 2018, the indicator has risen by 10.2 pp.

2023 59.9% +2.5 pp vs 2022
World rank 115of 134
Period maximum 59.9%2023
Period minimum 49.7%2018

Trend over time

2018–2023 · % of population

Food insecurity — Lesotho, 2018–2023455055602018201920202021202220232018: 49.7%2019: 50.6%2020: 52.3%2021: 54.8%2022: 57.4%2023: 59.9%
Change over the period: +10.2 pp Annual average: 2.04 pp

Comparison, 2023

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Lesotho

Lesotho 59.9%
World 28.4%
Sub-Saharan Africa computed 61.9%
Southern Africa computed 25.2%
Food insecurity — Lesotho, by year Lesotho All countries CSV XLSX
Year % Change, pp
2023 59.9 +2.5 pp
2022 57.4 +2.6 pp
2021 54.8 +2.5 pp
2020 52.3 +1.7 pp
2019 50.6 +0.9 pp
2018 49.7

Southern Africa, 2023

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

About the indicator

The share of the population that experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, on the FIES scale of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The indicator is built not on calories but on a survey: people are asked whether over the past year they had to eat less, skip meals or go without food for a whole day because of a lack of money. That is why it catches what undernourishment by calories misses — episodic shortage in countries where the average diet is sufficient.

Important: The moderate and severe forms together, so the values are substantially higher than those of the undernourishment indicator. Based on a survey rather than on a food balance sheet — this is an independent measurement, not a refinement.

Source: FAOSTAT (FAO), license CC BY 4.0.