Hunger · Sub-Saharan Africa

Hunger and malnutrition in Lesotho

36%of children under five stunted (2024)Very high

36% of young children are too short for their age, a sign of long-term undernutrition, and 1.6% are dangerously thin. Stunting ranges from 26% in Leribe to 48% in Qasha's Nek.

62%moderately or severely food insecure (2024)

36%children under 5 stunted (2024)

1.6%children under 5 wasted (2024)

13%children under 5 underweight (2024)

7.7%children under 5 overweight (2024)

51%children 6-59 months anaemic (2019, WHO)

60 per 1,000children who die before age five (2024)

Child stunting by region in Lesotho

Children under five too short for their age, the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey (2023). Survey figures can differ from the UN estimate above, which is modelled across surveys.

How Lesotho compares

Lesotho has the 14th highest child stunting of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015. In Sub-Saharan Africa it is 11th of 47.

Frequently asked questions

What percentage of children are stunted in Lesotho?

36% of children under five in Lesotho were stunted in 2024, which WHO rates very high. 1.6% were wasted (2024). That ranks Lesotho 14 of 129 countries with an estimate since 2015, highest first.

Which region of Lesotho has the most malnutrition?

In the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, Qasha's Nek had the highest share of stunted children, 48%, and Leribe the lowest, 26%.

Sources: FAO (undernourishment, food insecurity), UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Malnutrition Estimates (stunting, wasting, underweight, overweight), WHO (anaemia) and UN IGME (child deaths), as published by the World Bank; regions from the DHS Program (LS2023DHS).