Freedom in Lesotho
Where Lesotho sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Lesotho has a figure for 55 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.728 | 2025 | 78 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.873 | 2025 | 34 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.835 | 2025 | 59 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.839 | 2025 | 65 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.651 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.643 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | 1.055 | 2025 | 59 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | -0.404 | 2025 | 118 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | 0.459 | 2025 | 79 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 1.000 | 2025 | 77 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 80.6 | 2023 | 88 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 80 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 104 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 1.000 | 2025 | 30 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 36.0 | 2025 | 76 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 31.0 | 2025 | 57 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 154.0% | 2025 | 8 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 35.4% | 2024 | 83 of 83 |
| Foreign investment inflows | -0.2% | 2025 | 76 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 47.2 | 2024 | 104 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $2,721 | 2025 | 143 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 2.0% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 4.3% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 16.3% | 2025 | 152 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 51.8% | 2024 | 118 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 0.4 | 2024 | 122 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 70.3 | 2024 | 125 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.661 | 2025 | 55 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.512 | 2025 | 56 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.716 | 2025 | 56 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.820 | 2025 | 47 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.650 | 2025 | 73 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.472 | 2025 | 74 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.742 | 2025 | 66 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.809 | 2025 | 67 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 54.1 | 2024 | 82 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 41.7 | 2024 | 82 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 38.8 | 2024 | 120 of 169 |
| Political stability | 61.5 | 2024 | 92 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.550 | 2023 | 139 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 57.8 | 2024 | 166 of 170 |
| Adult literacy | 90.5% | 2024 | 19 of 27 |
| Government spending on education | 7.3% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 12.6% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 13.2% | 2023 | 32 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 478.0 | 2023 | 157 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 25.0% | 2025 | 87 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 48.1% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.66 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 44.7% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 1.1 | 2024 | 34 of 168 |
| Population | 2.4M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 0.43 | 2024 | 29 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 33.6% | 2021 | 69 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 60.6% | 2024 | 141 of 169 |
What is missing
5 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Lesotho in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Lesotho, not a zero. Who publishes what