Liberal Democracy Index in Lesotho
Lesotho: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.512 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.512
Change on year
up 1.0%
World rank
62nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.521
in 2023
All-time low
0.08
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Liberal Democracy Index in Lesotho, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy index in Lesotho stood at 0.512.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Lesotho peaked at 0.521 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.08, in 1900.
That places Lesotho 62nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Liberal Democracy Index in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.08 | — |
| 1901 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.08 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.089 | +11.2% |
| 1951 | 0.089 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.092 | +3.4% |
| 1953 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.092 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.099 | +7.6% |
| 1961 | 0.1 | +1.0% |
| 1962 | 0.11 | +10.0% |
| 1963 | 0.103 | -6.4% |
| 1964 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.15 | +45.6% |
| 1966 | 0.209 | +39.3% |
| 1967 | 0.248 | +18.7% |
| 1968 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.145 | -41.5% |
| 1970 | 0.111 | -23.4% |
| 1971 | 0.103 | -7.2% |
| 1972 | 0.103 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.118 | +14.6% |
| 1974 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.118 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.119 | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 0.12 | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 0.122 | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.122 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.107 | -12.3% |
| 1987 | 0.119 | +11.2% |
| 1988 | 0.12 | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 0.12 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.18 | +50.0% |
| 1991 | 0.154 | -14.4% |
| 1992 | 0.157 | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 0.36 | +129.3% |
| 1994 | 0.333 | -7.5% |
| 1995 | 0.256 | -23.1% |
| 1996 | 0.258 | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.288 | +11.6% |
| 1999 | 0.26 | -9.7% |
| 2000 | 0.259 | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 0.259 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.377 | +45.6% |
| 2003 | 0.45 | +19.4% |
| 2004 | 0.449 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 0.452 | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 0.451 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.419 | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 0.415 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.413 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 0.425 | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.43 | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 0.453 | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 0.477 | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 0.48 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 0.445 | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 0.424 | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 0.372 | -12.3% |
| 2018 | 0.441 | +18.5% |
| 2019 | 0.488 | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 0.505 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 0.498 | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 0.509 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | 0.521 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 0.507 | -2.7% |
| 2025 | 0.512 | +1.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.512 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.203, 2.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.512 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 3.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.08 | 0.08 | 0.08 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0914 | 0.089 | 0.092 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1515 | 0.099 | 0.248 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1146 | 0.103 | 0.12 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1198 | 0.107 | 0.122 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2504 | 0.154 | 0.36 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3944 | 0.259 | 0.452 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4435 | 0.372 | 0.488 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5087 | 0.498 | 0.521 | 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 liberal democracy index in Lesotho?
- Liberal democracy index in Lesotho was 0.512 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 0.521 in 2023.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.08 in 1900.
- How does Lesotho rank for liberal democracy index?
- Lesotho ranks 62nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.1%. 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 Liberal Democracy Index. 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
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.