Legislative Corruption Score in Lesotho
Lesotho: Legislative Corruption Score was -0.801 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Legislative Corruption Score in Lesotho, 1904–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, legislative corruption score in Lesotho stood at -0.801. That is the lowest value across all 71 years on record.
The figure is down 610.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in Lesotho peaked at 3.1 in 1904 and was at its lowest, -0.801, in 2022.
Lesotho ranks 115th of 174 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.
Legislative Corruption Score in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1904 | 3.1 | — |
| 1906 | 3.07 | -0.9% |
| 1907 | 3.07 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.26 | -59.0% |
| 1951 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 1.26 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.782 | -37.8% |
| 1966 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.782 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.474 | -39.4% |
| 1974 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.474 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.187 | -60.5% |
| 1991 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.187 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.341 | +82.4% |
| 2013 | 0.157 | -54.0% |
| 2014 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.157 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.177 | +12.7% |
| 2018 | 0.331 | +87.0% |
| 2019 | 0.305 | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | -0.308 | -201.0% |
| 2022 | -0.801 | +160.1% |
| 2023 | -0.801 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -0.801 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -0.801 | -0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's -0.801 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.747, 1.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's -0.801 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.375, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 3.08 | 3.07 | 3.1 | 3 |
| 1950s | 1.26 | 1.26 | 1.26 | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.05 | 0.782 | 1.26 | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.474 | 0.474 | 0.474 | 7 |
| 1980s | 0.474 | 0.474 | 0.474 | 6 |
| 1990s | 0.187 | 0.187 | 0.187 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.187 | 0.187 | 0.187 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2156 | 0.157 | 0.341 | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.5345 | -0.801 | 0.305 | 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 legislative corruption score in Lesotho?
- Legislative corruption score in Lesotho was -0.801 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 3.1 in 1904.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.801 in 2022.
- How does Lesotho rank for legislative corruption score?
- Lesotho ranks 115th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 610.2%. 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 Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.