Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of the population that owns a mobile phone was 75.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho, 2016–2024
Source: International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho is 75.2%, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.2% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho peaked at 81.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 69.3%, in 2021.
Lesotho ranks 137th of 182 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 78.7% | — |
| 2019 | 81.7% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 69.3% | -15.2% |
| 2022 | 71.7% | +3.5% |
| 2023 | 70.8% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 75.2% | +6.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 75.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 75.4%, 100% of the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 75.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.1%, 1.1× the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 80.2% | 78.7% | 81.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 71.8% | 69.3% | 75.2% | 4 |
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 that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho?
- Share of the population that owns a mobile phone in Lesotho was 75.2% in 2024, according to International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 81.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of the population that owns a mobile phone recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.3% in 2021.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of the population that owns a mobile phone?
- Lesotho ranks 137th out of 182 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population that owns a mobile phone rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population that owns a mobile phone. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex (%).