New report shows Lesotho’s poverty reduced in 15yrs but half of population remains poor

A new study finds that poverty fell more than a 15-year period in Lesotho, but poverty remains widespread with nearly half of the population living in poverty and 75 percent of the population either poor or vulnerable to poverty.

The joint report by the World Bank and the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics titled “Lesotho Poverty Assessment: Progress and Challenges in Reducing Poverty” finds that the South African country’s poverty rate came down from 56.6 percent to 49.7 percent in 15 years between 2002 and 2017, driven by a reduction in inequality as a result of the expansion of the country’s social protection programs and an increase in wage incomes among the poor. However, poverty and inequality remain persistently high due to the country’s disparities in wage gaps and access to quality basic services.

“Poverty, the most degrading, dehumanizing position any human being can find themselves in, leaves the door wide open for injustice, inequality and the whole gamut of human abuses. Every measure possible must be considered in order to wipe out poverty in our nation,” Hon. Tlohelang Aumane, Lesotho Minister of Development Planning opined.

The report further shows that inequality dwindled in 15 years between 2002 and 2017 making Lesotho more equal than its neighbouring countries. Yet with a Gini coefficient (is a frequent measure of inequality. It attains the value 0 if all resources are distributed equally, and value of 100 if one person has all resources) of 44.6, the country remains one of the 20 percent most unequal countries in the world.

“In Lesotho more than 75 percent of the population is either poor or vulnerable, indicating a need to change the country’s poverty trajectory. The World Bank stands ready to support the Government of Lesotho in line with our goals of reducing extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity by 2030,” Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, World Bank Country Director for Lesotho cited.

On the other hand, the report provides suggestion productivity-enhancing agricultural inputs and strengthening linkages between farmers and buyers are critical to increase incomes. It points to the adoption of investments in Climate Smart Agriculture, which offers the potential to transform Lesotho’s agriculture into a more productive, climate-resilient and low emissions sector.