Photo: User:Kentstander derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.5 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 14 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Lesotho: Poverty & Inequality
How is a country’s income shared, and how many live below a line?
Lesotho is placed 151st of 159 countries on poverty & inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics. Readings behind it: Gini Index 44.88 (2023); Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day 16.96 (2023).
Share
Poverty & Inequality
151st
of 159 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 3 key statistics
01The evidence
The 3 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Lesotho on poverty & inequality — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 3
Gini Index
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Lesotho’s is from 2017 · CC BY 4.0
44.88
Gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)
Lower is better
Lesotho: 44.88. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 23 (India) to 59.07 (Namibia); the world median is 33.72.
- World median
- 33.72
- Best in Southern Africa
- 44.88 Lesotho
- Land neighbours
- South Africa 54.05
Key 2 of 3
Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day
World Bank Group
Latest reading per country, 2013–2023 · Lesotho’s is from 2017 · CC BY 4.0
16.96
Poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)
Lower is better
Lesotho: 16.96. Across the 159 countries at their latest reading, values run from 0 (Czechia) to 48.69 (DR Congo); the world median is 0.345.
- World median
- 0.345
- Best in Southern Africa
- 5.1 South Africa
- Land neighbours
- South Africa 5.1
Key 3 of 3
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
77.4
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%)
Lower is better
Lesotho: 77.4. Across the 145 countries in this edition, values run from 0.6 (Belarus) to 93.9 (South Sudan); the world median is 26.4.
- World median
- 26.4
- Best in Southern Africa
- 47.9 Namibia
- Land neighbours
- South Africa 57.9
02Over time
Which way Lesotho is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet
Share of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) · lower is better
LesothoWorld median
Lesotho rose from 70.7 in 2017 to 77.4 in 2025; the world median went from 32.4 to 26.4.
Every year’s figures
Year Lesotho World median 2025 77.4 26.40 2024 77.1 27.10 2023 76.8 27.15 2022 76.5 27.90 2021 76.7 29.65 2020 76.2 31.80 2019 72.5 29.05 2018 71.5 29.85 2017 70.7 32.40
03In context
Lesotho beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 159 countries on poverty & inequality, never a place within the region.
Lesotho and the countries it borders
Standing among all 159; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Gini IndexGini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality) | Poverty Gap at $3.00 a DayPoverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%) | Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy DietShare of the population unable to afford a healthy diet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa | 145th | 54.05 | 5.1 | 57.9 |
| Lesotho | 151st | 44.88 | 16.96 | 77.4 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Southern Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 159.
Placed either side on poverty & inequality
The countries immediately above and below Lesotho in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Lesotho is ahead of the world, and behind
18 more statistics filed under poverty & inequality, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which Lesotho does better than the middle country measured.
Exclusion by Socio-Economic GroupV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2023 · world median 0.4130.3540.413▼ Worsened since 2013
Lesotho: 0.354 · world median 0.413 · Exclusion by socio-economic group index (0–1; higher = more exclusion). V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.014 to 0.969; lower is better.
Position 95th of 174 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median14
Statistics on which Lesotho does worse than the middle country measured.
Adequacy of Social Protection and Labour BenefitsWorld Bank Group · 2023 · world median 18.6517.8718.65No earlier reading
Lesotho: 17.87 · world median 18.65 · Benefits received as a share of beneficiaries' total income or consumption (%). World Bank Group, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.455 to 90.86; higher is better.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.1060.039▼ Worsened since 2018
Lesotho: 0.106 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 44th of 109 · derived, 1st = worst.
Wealth Parity Index, Lower Secondary CompletionUIS · 2024 · world median 0.5290.230.529No earlier reading
Lesotho: 0.23 · world median 0.529 · Adjusted wealth parity index, lower secondary completion (poorest vs richest fifth; 1 = parity). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.032 to 1.022; higher is better.
Intergenerational Persistence in EducationWorld Bank Group · 2017 · world median 0.4460.5030.446No earlier reading
Lesotho: 0.503 · world median 0.446 · Correlation between own and parents' years of schooling, born 1980–89 (0–1). World Bank Group, 2017 edition, data for 2017.
Published values in that edition run from 0.123 to 0.66; lower is better.
Position 46th of 153 · derived, 1st = worst.
Severe Child Food Poverty, Children Aged 6–23 MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 21.2631.2921.26No earlier reading
Lesotho: 31.29 · world median 21.26 · Children aged 6-23 months fed from at most 2 of 8 food groups (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1.169 to 63.08; lower is better.
Position 27th of 113 · derived, 1st = worst.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.88533.634.885▼ Worsened since 2015
Lesotho: 33.63 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Coefficient of Human InequalityUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 17.0533.6617.05▲ Improved since 2013
Lesotho: 33.66 · world median 17.05 · Coefficient of Human Inequality (%). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 4.865 to 43.08; lower is better.
Position 30th of 169 · derived, 1st = worst.
Multidimensional Poverty MeasureWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 4.25247.714.252No earlier reading
Lesotho: 47.71 · world median 4.252 · Multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.96; lower is better.
Position 27th of 157 · derived, 1st = worst.
Inequality-adjusted Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.6090.3570.609▲ Improved since 2013
Lesotho: 0.357 · world median 0.609 · IHDI (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.226 to 0.923; higher is better.
Position 143rd of 169 · derived.
Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food InsecurityFAO · 2024 · world median 20.961.620.9▼ Worsened since 2018
Lesotho: 61.6 · world median 20.9 · Population in moderate or severe food insecurity (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 1 to 88.8; lower is better.
Position 18th of 135 · derived, 1st = worst.
Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 2021 · world median 12,8002,68512,800▼ Worsened since 2017
Lesotho: 2,685 · world median 12,800 · Actual individual consumption per capita (PPP, current international $). World Bank Group, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 688.7 to 52,654; higher is better.
Position 153rd of 173 · derived.
Poverty Headcount at $3.00 a Day, Line-up EstimatesWorld Bank Group · 2024 · world median 2.144.892.1No real change since 2014
Lesotho: 44.89 · world median 2.1 · Population below $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP, World Bank line-up estimate (%). World Bank Group, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 89.54; lower is better.
Low Pay RateILO · 2024 · world median 17.8939.4717.89▼ Worsened since 2019
Lesotho: 39.47 · world median 17.89 · Employees paid less than two-thirds of the median hourly earnings (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.395 to 41.69; lower is better.
Position 4th of 71 · derived, 1st = worst.
Gini Index of Monthly EarningsILO · 2024 · world median 0.3370.6430.337▼ Worsened since 2019
Lesotho: 0.643 · world median 0.337 · Gini index of employees’ monthly earnings (0 = all paid the same, 1 = maximum inequality). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.182 to 0.643; lower is better.
Position 1st of 75 · derived, 1st = worst.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Poverty Headcount at National Poverty LinesWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 21.849.721.8No earlier reading
Lesotho: 49.7 · world median 21.8 · Population below the national poverty line (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 82.3.
Cost of a Healthy DietFAO · 2025 · world median 4.555.474.55Moved since 2017
Lesotho: 5.47 · world median 4.55 · Cost of the cheapest locally available healthy diet, PPP dollars per person per day. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.66 to 8.27.
Catastrophic Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingWorld Bank Group · 2019 · world median 6.884.5136.88No earlier reading
Lesotho: 4.513 · world median 6.88 · Population in households spending more than 10% of their budget on health out of pocket (%). World Bank Group, 2019 edition, data for 2019.
Published values in that edition run from 0.133 to 31.21.
No current reading for Lesotho
Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Gini Index (last 2017), Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID) (last 2017), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20% (last 2017), Income Share Held by Richest 10% (last 2017), Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person (last 2017), Palma Ratio (last 2017), Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day (last 2017), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day (last 2017), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day (last 2017), Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day (last 2017), Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day (last 2017), Prosperity Gap (last 2017) and Societal Poverty Rate (last 2017). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Poverty & Inequality among Lesotho’s 14 topics
Poverty & Inequality is Lesotho’s 13th best-placed topic of 14. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 22nd of 1862/4 keys
- Peace & Security57th of 1774/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 62nd of 1834/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 73rd of 1984/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience111th of 1934/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 115th of 1944/4 keys
- Economy & Innovationjoint 132nd of 1763/4 keys
- Work & Labourjoint 140th of 1824/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge154th of 1984/4 keys
- Digital & Technology158th of 1984/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 158th of 1843/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital178th of 1963/3 keys
- Poverty & Inequality151st of 1593/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeing194th of 2004/4 keys
No standing on Mobility & Trade, Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on poverty & inequality
The three countries placed highest of 159, and the leaders Lesotho can most readily be measured against.
1
BelarusEastern Europe
1st of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
SloveniaSouthern Europe
2nd of 159 · 3 of 3 keys
Photo: Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
=3
UkraineEastern Europe
Joint 3rd of 159 · 2 of 3 keys
Photo: uploaded by Chern038 · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Tunisia43rd3/3 keysHighest in Southern Africa
Namibia143rd3/3 keysThis page
Lesotho151st3/3 keys
Positions out of 159 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Lesotho on poverty & inequality: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Lesotho rank on poverty & inequality?
Lesotho is placed 151st of 159 countries on Poverty & Inequality in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 3 key statistics (Gini Index, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day and Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Gini Index figure for Lesotho?
44.88 in 2023 (gini index (0 = perfect equality, 100 = perfect inequality)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 33.72.
What is the latest Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day figure for Lesotho?
16.96 in 2023 (poverty gap at $3.00 a day, 2021 PPP (%)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.345.
How does Lesotho compare with South Africa on poverty & inequality?
South Africa is placed 145th of 159, and Lesotho 151st. Gini Index: South Africa 54.05, Lesotho 44.88; Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day: South Africa 5.1, Lesotho 16.96; Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet: South Africa 57.9, Lesotho 77.4.
How have Lesotho’s poverty & inequality figures changed?
Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet rose from 70.7 in 2017 to 77.4 in 2025.
Which poverty & inequality statistics are missing for Lesotho?
No current reading is published for Lesotho on Coefficient of Variation of Habitual Caloric Consumption, Gini Index, Gini Index of Disposable Income (SWIID), Income Growth of the Poorest 40%, Income Share Held by Lowest 20%, Income Share Held by Richest 10%, Median Daily Income or Consumption per Person, Palma Ratio, Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $3.00 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $4.20 a Day, Poverty Headcount Ratio at $8.30 a Day, Poverty Severity (Squared Poverty Gap) at $3.00 a Day, Prosperity Gap and Societal Poverty Rate. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
These figures come from household surveys, which most countries run every few years rather than every year. So the subject's standing is read from each country's most recent survey of the last decade, with the year of every reading shown, rather than from one year in which only a minority of countries were surveyed. Two readings decide it — how unequally income is shared and how deep extreme poverty runs — because the other poverty and inequality measures here largely repeat one of those two or repeat average income, which already counts under Economy and Development. Countries with no survey in the last decade have no standing here. What work pays is under Work & Labour; wealth, as opposed to income, has no global source this site is permitted to republish.
How the Poverty & Inequality standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 3 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 3 keys to be placed.
The poverty & inequality method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Gini Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Poverty Gap at $3.00 a Day — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Share of Population Unable to Afford a Healthy Diet — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 18 statistics on this page come from 8 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Lesotho’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Lesotho (banner) — User:Kentstander derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.5
- Belarus — zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Slovenia — Z.K. derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 3.0
- Ukraine — uploaded by Chern038, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Lesotho: Poverty & Inequality — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/lesotho/poverty