Lesotho's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) was 99.64% in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 0.28 percentage points from 99.92% in 2011.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 99.64% | 2021 |
| Five years earlier | 99.78% | 2016 |
| Ten years earlier | 99.92% | 2011 |
| Highest | 99.93% | 2007 |
| Lowest | 99.64% | 2021 |
| Average since 2012 | 99.76% | 2012–2021 |
| First recorded | 99.9% | 2000 |
What the numbers say
In 2021, Lesotho's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) fell 0.06 percentage points on 2020 (from 99.7% to 99.64%).
Across the 20 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2020), the average change was −0.01 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.03 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.03 percentage points in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.07 percentage points in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.03 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 90% 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.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 99.56% for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.02%, against 0.06% for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2021, Lesotho had the 2nd highest value of the 80 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 99.64% | 2021 |
| World | 15.23% | 2025 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 29.92% | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | 15.06% | 2024 |
Closest to Lesotho in the 2021 ranking
- Bhutan — 1st of 80: 99.99%
- Central African Republic — 3rd of 80: 96.18%
- Guinea — 4th of 80: 87.39%
- Andorra — 5th of 80: 75.86%
What this measures
The share of electricity production from hydroelectric sources of total electricity production. Sources of electricity refer to the inputs used to generate electricity. Hydropower refers to electricity produced by hydroelectric power plants.
Limitations: IEA occasionally revises its time series to reflect political changes. For example, the IEA has constructed historical energy statistics for countries of the former Soviet Union. In addition, energy statistics for other countries have undergone continuous changes in coverage or methodology in recent years as more detailed energy accounts have become available. Breaks in series are therefore unavoidable.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average using total electricity production as weights.
All 22 values
| Year | Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 99.64 |
| 2020 | 99.7 |
| 2019 | 99.67 |
| 2018 | 99.73 |
| 2017 | 99.73 |
| 2016 | 99.78 |
| 2015 | 99.79 |
| 2014 | 99.78 |
| 2013 | 99.85 |
| 2012 | 99.92 |
| 2011 |
Electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total) in nearby economies
- Angola — 73.06% (2024)
- Benin — 0.00622% (2021)
- Botswana — 0% (2021)
- Burkina Faso — 4.1% (2024)
- Burundi — 59.57% (2021)
- Cabo Verde — 0% (2021)
- Cameroon — 85.32% (2024)
- Central African Republic — 96.18% (2021)
- Chad
More environment data for Lesotho
- Rural population — 1.31 million (2025)
- Rural population (% of total population) — 55.33% (2025)
- Urban population — 1.06 million (2025)
- Urban population (% of total population) — 44.67% (2025)
- Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 2,107 (2024)
- Capture fisheries production (metric tons) — 74 (2024)
- Total fisheries production (metric tons) — 2,181 (2024)
- Rural population growth (annual %) — -0.67% (2025)
- Urban population growth (annual %) — 3.35% (2025)
- Fertilizer consumption (kilograms per hectare of arable land) — 6.09 (2024)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Lesotho's electricity production from hydroelectric sources (% of total)?
- 99.64% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2000?
- It is down 0.26 percentage points from 99.9% in 2000. The highest value was 99.93% in 2007 and the lowest 99.64% in 2021.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.ELC.HYRO.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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