Judicial Corruption Score in Lesotho
Lesotho: Judicial Corruption Score was 1.11 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.11
Change on year
up 2,418.2%
World rank
50th
of 176 countries
All-time high
1.11
in 2025
All-time low
-0.385
in 1990
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Judicial Corruption Score in Lesotho, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1.11 for judicial corruption score in 2025. That is the highest value across all 126 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2,418.2% on the previous year and up 425.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Lesotho peaked at 1.11 in 2025 and was at its lowest, -0.385, in 1990.
Lesotho ranks 50th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Judicial Corruption Score in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.4 | — |
| 1901 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.4 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | -0.255 | -163.8% |
| 1961 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.255 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.385 | +51.0% |
| 1991 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2004 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -0.385 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -0.34 | -11.7% |
| 2014 | -0.34 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -0.34 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -0.34 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -0.251 | -26.2% |
| 2018 | -0.306 | +21.9% |
| 2019 | -0.016 | -94.8% |
| 2020 | -0.016 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -0.056 | +250.0% |
| 2022 | 0.144 | -357.1% |
| 2023 | 0.044 | -69.4% |
| 2024 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 1.11 | +2418.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.11 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -1.01. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.11 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.632. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 10 |
| 1960s | -0.255 | -0.255 | -0.255 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.255 | -0.255 | -0.255 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.255 | -0.255 | -0.255 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.385 | -0.385 | -0.385 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.385 | -0.385 | -0.385 | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.3088 | -0.385 | -0.016 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2113 | -0.056 | 1.11 | 6 |
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 judicial corruption score in Lesotho?
- Judicial corruption score in Lesotho was 1.11 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.11 in 2025.
- What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.385 in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for judicial corruption score?
- Lesotho ranks 50th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 425.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.