What is varieties of democracy in Lesotho?

Varieties of democracy in Lesotho was 0.661 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 0.667 in 2023.

What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 0.045 in 1900.

How does Lesotho rank for varieties of democracy?

Lesotho ranks 60th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. 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 Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Varieties of democracy in Lesotho

Name: Varieties of democracy in Lesotho
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Lesotho: Varieties of democracy was 0.661 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)

0.661

Change on year

up 1.4%

World rank

60th

of 176 countries

All-time high

0.667

in 2023

All-time low

0.045

in 1900

Years of data

126

1900–2025

Varieties of democracy in Lesotho, 1900–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, varieties of democracy in Lesotho stood at 0.661.

The figure is up 1.4% on the previous year and up 10.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, varieties of democracy in Lesotho peaked at 0.667 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.045, in 1900.

That places Lesotho 60th 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.

Varieties of democracy in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Varieties of democracy in Lesotho, 1900 to 2025.
Year	Value	Change
1900	0.045	—
1901	0.045	+0.0%
1902	0.045	+0.0%
1903	0.045	+0.0%
1904	0.045	+0.0%
1905	0.045	+0.0%
1906	0.045	+0.0%
1907	0.045	+0.0%
1908	0.045	+0.0%
1909	0.045	+0.0%
1910	0.045	+0.0%
1911	0.045	+0.0%
1912	0.045	+0.0%
1913	0.045	+0.0%
1914	0.045	+0.0%
1915	0.045	+0.0%
1916	0.045	+0.0%
1917	0.045	+0.0%
1918	0.045	+0.0%
1919	0.045	+0.0%
1920	0.045	+0.0%
1921	0.045	+0.0%
1922	0.045	+0.0%
1923	0.045	+0.0%
1924	0.045	+0.0%
1925	0.045	+0.0%
1926	0.045	+0.0%
1927	0.045	+0.0%
1928	0.045	+0.0%
1929	0.045	+0.0%
1930	0.045	+0.0%
1931	0.045	+0.0%
1932	0.045	+0.0%
1933	0.045	+0.0%
1934	0.045	+0.0%
1935	0.045	+0.0%
1936	0.045	+0.0%
1937	0.045	+0.0%
1938	0.045	+0.0%
1939	0.045	+0.0%
1940	0.045	+0.0%
1941	0.045	+0.0%
1942	0.045	+0.0%
1943	0.045	+0.0%
1944	0.045	+0.0%
1945	0.045	+0.0%
1946	0.045	+0.0%
1947	0.045	+0.0%
1948	0.045	+0.0%
1949	0.045	+0.0%
1950	0.052	+15.6%
1951	0.052	+0.0%
1952	0.073	+40.4%
1953	0.073	+0.0%
1954	0.073	+0.0%
1955	0.073	+0.0%
1956	0.073	+0.0%
1957	0.073	+0.0%
1958	0.073	+0.0%
1959	0.073	+0.0%
1960	0.089	+21.9%
1961	0.089	+0.0%
1962	0.089	+0.0%
1963	0.089	+0.0%
1964	0.089	+0.0%
1965	0.206	+131.5%
1966	0.273	+32.5%
1967	0.358	+31.1%
1968	0.358	+0.0%
1969	0.188	-47.5%
1970	0.141	-25.0%
1971	0.115	-18.4%
1972	0.115	+0.0%
1973	0.115	+0.0%
1974	0.115	+0.0%
1975	0.115	+0.0%
1976	0.115	+0.0%
1977	0.115	+0.0%
1978	0.117	+1.7%
1979	0.123	+5.1%
1980	0.123	+0.0%
1981	0.123	+0.0%
1982	0.123	+0.0%
1983	0.122	-0.8%
1984	0.122	+0.0%
1985	0.126	+3.3%
1986	0.119	-5.6%
1987	0.127	+6.7%
1988	0.127	+0.0%
1989	0.127	+0.0%
1990	0.159	+25.2%
1991	0.158	-0.6%
1992	0.158	+0.0%
1993	0.501	+217.1%
1994	0.469	-6.4%
1995	0.314	-33.0%
1996	0.314	+0.0%
1997	0.314	+0.0%
1998	0.371	+18.2%
1999	0.315	-15.1%
2000	0.315	+0.0%
2001	0.315	+0.0%
2002	0.496	+57.5%
2003	0.614	+23.8%
2004	0.614	+0.0%
2005	0.614	+0.0%
2006	0.614	+0.0%
2007	0.568	-7.5%
2008	0.561	-1.2%
2009	0.559	-0.4%
2010	0.566	+1.3%
2011	0.574	+1.4%
2012	0.582	+1.4%
2013	0.619	+6.4%
2014	0.621	+0.3%
2015	0.597	-3.9%
2016	0.576	-3.5%
2017	0.501	-13.0%
2018	0.601	+20.0%
2019	0.621	+3.3%
2020	0.627	+1.0%
2021	0.616	-1.8%
2022	0.648	+5.2%
2023	0.667	+2.9%
2024	0.652	-2.2%
2025	0.661	+1.4%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

Lesotho's 0.661 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3475, 1.9× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Lesotho's 0.661 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.317, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1900s	0.045	0.045	0.045	10
1910s	0.045	0.045	0.045	10
1920s	0.045	0.045	0.045	10
1930s	0.045	0.045	0.045	10
1940s	0.045	0.045	0.045	10
1950s	0.0688	0.052	0.073	10
1960s	0.1828	0.089	0.358	10
1970s	0.1186	0.115	0.141	10
1980s	0.1239	0.119	0.127	10
1990s	0.3073	0.158	0.501	10
2000s	0.527	0.315	0.614	10
2010s	0.5858	0.501	0.621	10
2020s	0.6452	0.616	0.667	6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

57 Colombia 0.679 compare
58 Peru 0.667 compare
59 Botswana 0.665 compare
61 Nepal 0.656 compare
62 Gambia 0.641 compare
63 Guatemala 0.637 compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

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)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is varieties of democracy in Lesotho?: Varieties of democracy in Lesotho was 0.661 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest varieties of democracy recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 0.667 in 2023.
What is the lowest varieties of democracy recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 0.045 in 1900.
How does Lesotho rank for varieties of democracy?: Lesotho ranks 60th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is varieties of democracy rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is up 10.7%. 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 Varieties of democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Varieties of democracy in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://social-development.statizoid.com/stat/varieties-democracy-vdem/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator: Varieties of democracy
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 29,649 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 18 September 2026

Central estimate of the extent to which political leaders are elected under comprehensive suffrage in free and fair elections, and freedoms of association and expression are guaranteed.