FSCI Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Lesotho.
Lesotho income group: Lower Middle Income
Comparison
Lesotho
Southern Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Lesotho
4.3
Southern Africa
3.4
World
3.3
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
4.3 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
76%
Southern Africa
62%
World
37%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
76%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
48
Southern Africa
137.8
World
256.7
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
48 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
59.8
Southern Africa
97.9
World
278.9
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
59.8 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
28%
Southern Africa
78%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
28%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Lesotho
6.9
Southern Africa
36.7
World
155.1
current PPP dollar/capita/year
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
6.9 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
Southern Africa
72%
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
No Data
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
Southern Africa
23%
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
No Data
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
Southern Africa
3.3
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
Southern Africa
3.2
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
No Data
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
Southern Africa
10%
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
No Data
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
Southern Africa
51%
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
No Data
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
Lesotho
46%
Southern Africa
10%
World
11%
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
46%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
57%
Southern Africa
25%
World
31%
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
57%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
17%
Southern Africa
39%
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
17%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2018
Source: UNICEF
Lesotho
35
Southern Africa
37
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
35% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2018
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Lesotho
0.7
Southern Africa
4.4
World
4.2
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.7 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
3.8
Southern Africa
22.9
World
13.8
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
3.8 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
9.3
Southern Africa
16.8
World
20.1
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
9.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
13,971
Southern Africa
25,151.3
World
22,628.8
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
13,971 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
122.5
Southern Africa
301.1
World
221
kg/animal
Beef yield
122.5 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
37.2
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
No Data
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Lesotho
1,682.9
Southern Africa
35,769.4
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
1,682.9 kT CO2eq
Lesotho
0.3
Southern Africa
0.2
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
56.4
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
No Data
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of rice
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
1.3
Southern Africa
0.7
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
1.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
206.7
Southern Africa
17.6
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
206.7 kg CO2eq/kg product
Lesotho
4
Southern Africa
0
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
4% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Lesotho
47
Southern Africa
71
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
47% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
Lesotho
0%
Southern Africa
21%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
0%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Lesotho
0.6
Southern Africa
3.3
World
2.3
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
0.6 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Lesotho
4
Southern Africa
3
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP
4% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
19
Southern Africa
26
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
19% working age population
Lesotho
3
Southern Africa
5
World
6
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
3% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2019
Source: ILO
Lesotho
75
Southern Africa
77
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
75% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2017
Source: World Bank
Lesotho
18
Southern Africa
53
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
18% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2017
Source: World Bank
Lesotho
8
Southern Africa
8
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
8% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2018
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Lesotho
0.8
Southern Africa
0.7
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.8
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Lesotho
0%
Southern Africa
24%
World
8%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Lesotho
-0.9
Southern Africa
-0.1
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.9
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Lesotho
80
Southern Africa
94.5
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
80
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Lesotho
1.1
Southern Africa
1.2
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
1.1
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Lesotho
26
Southern Africa
79.4
World
43
Open budget index score
26
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Lesotho
0.7
Southern Africa
0.8
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.7
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Lesotho
67.5
Southern Africa
127.1
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
67.5 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Lesotho
0.3
Southern Africa
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.3
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
Lesotho
17
Southern Africa
15
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
17% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Lesotho
3,582
Southern Africa
4,505.9
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
3,582
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Africa
3.4
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
No Data
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
Lesotho
0.3
Southern Africa
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.3
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Lesotho
0.7
Southern Africa
0.5
World
0.7
Food price volatility
0.7
Lesotho
78
Southern Africa
32.4
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability per capita
78 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
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