Lesotho: Children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lesotho's children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV did not change 0% on 2023 (from 500 to 500).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −3.6% and a typical year strayed about 16.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 60% in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 36.4% in 2011. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 47.94 a year. A straight line explains 64% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Lesotho had the 29th highest value of the 83 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Lesotho in the 2024 ranking

• Eswatini — 33rd of 83: 500
• Gabon — 34th of 83: 500
• Guinea-Bissau — 35th of 83: 500
• Mexico — 37th of 83: 500
• Namibia — 38th of 83: 500
• Niger — 39th of 83: 500

What this measures

Number of children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV.

All 35 values

Children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV in nearby economies

• Angola — 4,500 (2024)
• Benin — 500 (2024)
• Botswana — 100 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 800 (2024)
• Burundi — 500 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 100 (2024)
• Cameroon — 2,700 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 1,000 (2024)
• Chad — 1,300 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 9,100 (2024)

More health data for Lesotho

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 10.7% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 11.44% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 400,450 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 33.06% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 405,493 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 35.19% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 805,943 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 34.1% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 11.21% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lesotho's children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV?

500 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is down 33.33% from 750 in 1990 (1.19% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 5,100 in 2002 and the lowest 500 in 2020.

How does Lesotho rank?

29th highest of 83 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV unusual for Lesotho?

In 2024, Lesotho's children (ages 0-14) newly infected with HIV did not change 0% on 2023 (from 500 to 500). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −3.6% and a typical year strayed about 16.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.HIV.INCD.14, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNAIDS estimates, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), uri: https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/, publisher: UNAIDS, date accessed: 2025-08-27, date published: 2025-07 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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