The youth unemployment rate in Lesotho declined to 24.22 percent in 2024. The youth unemployment rate of a country or region refers to the share of the total workforce aged 15 to 24 that is currently without work, but actively searching for employment. It does not include economically inactive persons such as full-time students or the long-term unemployed.Find more key insights for the youth unemployment rate in countries like Swaziland and Botswana.

Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in Lesotho was reported at 24.22 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Unemployment, youth total (% of total labor force ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Youth Unemployment Rate for Lesotho (SLUEM1524ZSLSO) from 1991 to 2024 about Lesotho, 15 to 24 years, unemployment, and rate.

Historical chart and dataset showing Lesotho youth unemployment rate by year from 1991 to 2024.

Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 34.430 % in 2013. This records a decrease from the previous number of 48.620 % for 2008. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 34.430 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2013, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 48.620 % in 2008 and a record low of 33.540 % in 1999. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted Average; The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) (modeled ILO estimate) in Lesotho was reported at 36.21 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Unemployment, youth female (% of female labor force ages 15-24) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

The youth unemployment rate in Lesotho amounted to 24.22 percent in 2024. Between 1991 and 2024, the youth unemployment rate rose by 2.47 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 38.533 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 38.959 % for 2016. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 46.052 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 59.229 % in 1998 and a record low of 29.857 % in 2000. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth: % of Total Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Lesotho: Youth unemployment, ages 15-24: Pour cet indicateur, La Banque mondiale fournit des données pour la Lesotho de 1991 à 2023. La valeur moyenne pour Lesotho pendant cette période était de 23.15 pour cent avec un minimum de 21.31 pour cent en 1992 et un maximum de 27.7 pour cent en 2020.

Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 44.127 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.236 % for 2016. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 51.270 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 67.475 % in 1998 and a record low of 38.619 % in 2012. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: Modeled ILO Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Male: % of Male Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 44.300 % in 2008. This records an increase from the previous number of 25.800 % for 1999. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Male: % of Male Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 35.050 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 44.300 % in 2008 and a record low of 25.800 % in 1999. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Male: % of Male Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in November 2017.; Weighted Average; The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Among countries in Africa, Lesotho presented the highest share of young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET) as of 2020. According to the source estimates, roughly 44 percent of individuals aged 15-24 years in Lesotho were disengaged from both education and the labor market. The share reached nearly 40 percent in Botswana, Chad, Eswatini, and Benin. On the other hand, Rwanda registered the lowest rate, at 6.3 percent, followed by Madagascar and Burundi, each with a share of around seven percent of NEET youth.

Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data was reported at 53.600 % in 2008. This records an increase from the previous number of 43.430 % for 1999. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 48.515 % from Dec 1999 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.600 % in 2008 and a record low of 43.430 % in 1999. Lesotho LS: Unemployment: National Estimate: Youth Female: % of Female Labour Force Aged 15-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Youth unemployment refers to the share of the labor force ages 15-24 without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; The series for ILO estimates is also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

Lesotho LS: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth Population data was reported at 28.201 % in 2019. Lesotho LS: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth Population data is updated yearly, averaging 28.201 % from Dec 2019 (Median) to 2019, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 28.201 % in 2019 and a record low of 28.201 % in 2019. Lesotho LS: Share of Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training: Male: % of Male Youth Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Share of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) is the proportion of young people who are not in education, employment, or training to the population of the corresponding age group: youth (ages 15 to 24); persons ages 15 to 29; or both age groups.;International Labour Organization. “Labour Force Statistics database (LFS)” ILOSTAT. Accessed January 07, 2025. https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/.;Weighted average;

Lesotho. name, long name, population (source), population, constitutional form, drives on, head of state authority, Main continent, number of airports, Airports - with paved runways, Airports - with unpaved runways, Area, Birth rate, calling code, Children under the age of 5 years underweight, Current Account Balance, Death rate, Debt - external, Economic aid donor, Electricity consumption, Electricity consumption per capita, Electricity exports, Electricity imports, Electricity production, Exports, GDP - per capita (PPP), GDP (purchasing power parity), GDP real growth rate, Gross national income, Human Development Index, Health expenditures, Heliports, HIV AIDS adult prevalence rate, HIV AIDS deaths, HIV AIDS people living with HIV AIDS, Hospital bed density, capital city, Currency, Imports, Industrial production growth rate, Infant mortality rate, Inflation rate consumer prices, Internet hosts, internet tld, Internet users, Investment (gross fixed), iso 3166 code, ISO CODE, Labor force, Life expectancy at birth, Literacy, Manpower available for military service, Manpower fit for military service, Manpower reaching militarily age annually, is democracy, Market value of publicly traded shares, Maternal mortality rate, Merchant marine, Military expenditures percent of GDP, Natural gas consumption, Natural gas consumption per capita, Natural gas exports, Natural gas imports, Natural gas production, Natural gas proved reserves, Net migration rate, Obesity adult prevalence rate, Oil consumption, Oil consumption per capita, Oil exports, Oil imports, Oil production, Oil proved reserves, Physicians density, Population below poverty line, Population census, Population density, Population estimate, Population growth rate, Public debt, Railways, Reserves of foreign exchange and gold, Roadways, Stock of direct foreign investment abroad, Stock of direct foreign investment at home, Telephones main lines in use, Telephones main lines in use per capita, Telephones mobile cellular, Telephones mobile cellular per capita, Total fertility rate, Unemployment rate, Unemployment, youth ages 15-24, Waterways, valley, helicopter, canyon, artillery, crater, religion, continent, border, Plateau, marsh, Demonym

Lesotho LS: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15-24: Male data was reported at 33.565 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 33.294 % for 2016. Lesotho LS: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15-24: Male data is updated yearly, averaging 36.768 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2017, with 27 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.849 % in 2000 and a record low of 33.294 % in 2016. Lesotho LS: Employment To Population Ratio: Modeled ILO Estimate: Aged 15-24: Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment. Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed. Employment is defined as persons of working age who, during a short reference period, were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period (i.e. who worked in a job for at least one hour) or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangements. Ages 15-24 are generally considered the youth population.; ; International Labour Organization, ILOSTAT database. Data retrieved in September 2018.; Weighted average; Data up to 2016 are estimates while data from 2017 are projections. National estimates are also available in the WDI database. Caution should be used when comparing ILO estimates with national estimates.

。未受教育、无业或未受培训青少年比例：男性：占男性年轻人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-2019至12-01-2019期间平均值为28.201%，共1份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2019，达28.201%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-2019，为28.201%。CEIC提供的未受教育、无业或未受培训青少年比例：男性：占男性年轻人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的莱索托 – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment。

。未受教育、无业或未受培训青少年比例：女性：占女性年轻人口百分比数据按年更新，12-01-2019至12-01-2019期间平均值为42.138%，共1份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2019，达42.138%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-2019，为42.138%。CEIC提供的未受教育、无业或未受培训青少年比例：女性：占女性年轻人口百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的莱索托 – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Employment and Unemployment。

LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻女性：占15-24岁女性劳动力百分比在12-01-2008达53.600%，相较于12-01-1999的43.430%有所增长。LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻女性：占15-24岁女性劳动力百分比数据按年更新，12-01-1999至12-01-2008期间平均值为48.515%，共2份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2008，达53.600%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1999，为43.430%。CEIC提供的LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻女性：占15-24岁女性劳动力百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于全球数据库的莱索托 – 表 LS.世行.WDI：就业和失业。

LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻男性：占15-24岁男性劳动力百分比在12-01-2008达44.300%，相较于12-01-1999的25.800%有所增长。LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻男性：占15-24岁男性劳动力百分比数据按年更新，12-01-1999至12-01-2008期间平均值为35.050%，共2份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于12-01-2008，达44.300%，而历史最低值则出现于12-01-1999，为25.800%。CEIC提供的LS：失业：国家评估报告：年轻男性：占15-24岁男性劳动力百分比数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于World Bank，数据归类于Global Database的莱索托 – 表 LS.世界银行：就业和失业。