Share of the population using the Internet in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of the population using the Internet was 51.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population using the Internet in Lesotho, 1990–2024
Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 51.8% for share of the population using the internet in 2024. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.7% on the previous year and up 135.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population using the internet in Lesotho peaked at 51.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places Lesotho 158th out of 208 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population using the Internet in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1996 | 0.0% | — |
| 1997 | 0.0% | +95.8% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | +97.1% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +389.1% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +293.7% |
| 2001 | 0.3% | +23.3% |
| 2002 | 1.1% | +315.1% |
| 2003 | 1.5% | +41.4% |
| 2004 | 2.2% | +42.0% |
| 2005 | 2.6% | +18.6% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | +15.5% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +15.6% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 7.0% | +81.3% |
| 2012 | 10.0% | +42.9% |
| 2013 | 15.0% | +50.0% |
| 2014 | 22.0% | +46.7% |
| 2015 | 25.0% | +13.6% |
| 2016 | 32.5% | +29.8% |
| 2017 | 39.0% | +20.2% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 42.3% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 43.7% | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 45.1% | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 48.1% | +6.7% |
| 2023 | 49.0% | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 51.8% | +5.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 51.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 55.8%, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 51.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 34.5%, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of the population using the Internet in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | +389.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2002 | +315.1% | 0.3% | 1.1% |
| 2000 | +293.7% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% | 5 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | 0.2% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.7% | 3.9% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 43.7% | 51.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More science & technology data for Lesotho
- Mobile landline subscriptions, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, gaps filled 70.33 (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per capita 0.7033 units per person (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, gaps filled 1.64 million (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, per square kilometre 52.8 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Mobile landline subscriptions, annual growth rate 1.41 % change on previous year (2024)
- Mobile cellular subscriptions by country, annual growth rate 2.55 % change on previous year (2024)
- Scientific and technical journal articles 60.18 (2023)
- Scientific and technical journal articles, per capita 0 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population using the internet in Lesotho?
- Share of the population using the internet in Lesotho was 51.8% in 2024, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population using the internet recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 51.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population using the internet recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of the population using the internet?
- Lesotho ranks 158th out of 208 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population using the internet rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 135.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the population who used the Internet in the last three months.