Homicides in Lesotho
Lesotho: Homicides was 752 homicides in 2008. ▲ Rising
Latest (2008)
752 homicides
Change on year
down 16.0%
World rank
45th
of 179 countries
All-time high
895 homicides
in 2007
All-time low
519 homicides
in 1990
Years of data
7
1990–2008
Homicides in Lesotho, 1990–2008
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in homicides.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 752 homicides for homicides in 2008.
The figure is down 16.0% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Lesotho peaked at 895 homicides in 2007 and was at its lowest, 519 homicides, in 1990.
Lesotho ranks 45th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Homicides in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | homicides | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 519 homicides | — |
| 1991 | 549 homicides | +5.8% |
| 1992 | 640 homicides | +16.6% |
| 1993 | 665 homicides | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 833 homicides | +25.3% |
| 2007 | 895 homicides | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 752 homicides | -16.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 752 homicides is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 635 homicides, 1.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 752 homicides is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 539.5 homicides, 1.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 641.2 homicides | 519 homicides | 833 homicides | 5 |
| 2000s | 823.5 homicides | 752 homicides | 895 homicides | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More social development data for Lesotho
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 478 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 27 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 27 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Lesotho?
- Homicides in Lesotho was 752 homicides in 2008, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 895 homicides in 2007.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 519 homicides in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for homicides?
- Lesotho ranks 45th out of 179 countries with data for 2008.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024); United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of intentional homicides.