More than four in 10 say they had to ask for help from friends or neighbours to make ends meet.
Key findings
- Most Basotho (85%) say they or a household member went without a cash income at least once during the previous year, while 60% experienced shortages of food and half went without needed medical care (50%) and water (50%).
- About six in 10 citizens (59%) experienced moderate or high levels of lived poverty during the past year, a significant improvement compared to 2020 (70%). Only 5% experienced no lived poverty.
- Half (50%) of respondents say they had to request assistance from other family members to make ends meet during the previous year, and more than four in 10 (44%) say they had to turn to friends or neighbours.
- Poverty ranks fifth among the most important problems that Basotho want their government to address, while unemployment tops the list.
- Majorities say the government is performing poorly on poverty reduction, unemployment, and other priority concerns.
Lesotho is a low-middle-income country. Poverty is widespread and persistent, especially in rural areas. According to World Bank (2023) estimates, 58% of Basotho live under the poverty line for lower-middle-income countries, and the unemployment rate is 29%.
Lesotho is a net food importer, and food insecurity is an important challenge. In 2022, the Lesotho Vulnerability Assessment Committee projected that between October 2022 and March 2023, 320,000 people would face acute food insecurity due to crop failure and increasing food prices.
Findings from the most recent Afrobarometer survey show that while lived poverty has declined since 2020, a majority of Basotho still experienced frequent shortages of food, water, and other basic life necessities during the previous year. Moderate and high levels of lived poverty were particularly common among rural residents and citizens with no formal education. A substantial share of respondents say they had to turn to other family members, friends, and neighbours for assistance to make ends meet last year.
Poverty ranks fifth among citizens' priorities for government action, while unemployment tops the list, and most respondents say the government is performing poorly on both.
Libuseng Malephane Libuseng Malephane is the national investigator for Lesotho.
