Country or area · Southern Africa · Africa · UN WPP 2024

Lesotho population

Lesotho population now

2,395,752

A projection read at this second, not a count: the UN's totals for 1 January 2026 and 2027, joined by a straight line. 95% range for 31 December 2026: 2.4–2.5 million.

Mid-2023, UN estimate: 2,311,472

Year: 2026; projection · medium
Population, mid-2026: 2.38934 million; 95% range, 31 Dec: 2.4–2.5 million
Median age: 23.1
Aged 65+: 3.9%

Move through time, 1950–2100

2023 | 2024 peak 2083

male female projection · one cell = 500 people

How to read this: one row for each age, newborns at the bottom; men on the left, women on the right.

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries

LSO · 1950–2100 · in brief

Lesotho in numbers

2,311,472 people lived in Lesotho in mid-2023: 0.03% of the world's people, and the 147th-largest population of the 236 countries and areas the UN reports. That is 4.0 times its 1950 population of 580 thousand.

The UN's medium projection has it peaking in 2083 at 3.3 million, then falling to 3.3 million by 2100. The projection is uncertain: on 1 January 2100 the UN's 95% range runs from 918 thousand to 9.6 million.

Births stay ahead of deaths until 2091; in the medium projection, deaths are ahead every year after it.

The median age was 18.7 in 1950 and 22.4 in 2023; the projection has 39.7 in 2100. 3.8% of people were 65 or older in 2023, against 17.0% projected for 2100. The working-age population (15–64) is projected to peak in 2074 at 2.2 million.

By size it is the 147th country in 2023; the projection puts it 142nd in 2050 and 138th in 2100. In the medium projection it overtakes Albania in 2034, Lithuania in 2035 and Moldova in 2037. It is overtaken by Guinea-Bissau in 2031 and Equatorial Guinea in 2044.

Population, mid-2023: 2,311,472
Rank by population, 2023: 147 of 236
Share of the world, 2023: 0.03%
Change in a year, mid-2022 to mid-2023: +1.11% · +25,362 people
People per km² of land, 2023: 76
Land area, 2023: 30,360 km²
Births, 2023: 55,728
Deaths, 2023: 24,612
Net migration, 2023: −5,168
Children per woman, 2023: 2.69
Median age, 2023: 22.4 years
Life expectancy at birth, 2023: 57.4 years
In a city, 2025: 12 of every 100
Population, mid-1950: 579,551
Projected, mid-2050: 2,993,076
Projected, mid-2100: 3,259,299

LSO · 1950–2100 · total population

Population, 1950–2100

peak 2083estimates | projections02 m4 m6 m8 m10 m1950197520002025205020752100

estimate projection, up to the bottom of the 95% range 95% range medium projection. Every column stands for a single year, counted on 1 January, and the paper rules slice it into cells of equal size.

Show the numbers: Lesotho, 1950–2100

Lesotho: population on 1 January, births, deaths, fertility and life expectancy, 1950–2100
Year	Kind	Population, 1 Jan	95% range	Births	Deaths	Children per woman	Life expectancy
1950	estimate	574,455		25,260	14,079	5.70	44.6
1951	estimate	584,647		25,931	13,611	5.72	45.2
1952	estimate	595,891		26,597	13,337	5.73	45.9
1953	estimate	608,003		27,296	13,128	5.75	46.6
1954	estimate	620,945		28,158	12,943	5.79	47.3
1955	estimate	634,843		28,865	12,798	5.79	48.0
1956	estimate	649,532		29,657	12,661	5.79	48.6
1957	estimate	665,090		30,438	12,577	5.79	49.2
1958	estimate	684,248		31,245	12,609	5.79	49.6
1959	estimate	704,382		32,030	12,704	5.79	49.9
1960	estimate	725,512		32,825	12,843	5.78	50.2
1961	estimate	747,488		33,645	13,064	5.79	50.3
1962	estimate	770,160		34,465	13,333	5.79	50.3
1963	estimate	793,469		35,234	13,648	5.78	50.3
1964	estimate	817,277		36,050	13,934	5.76	50.3
1965	estimate	841,597		37,010	14,255	5.77	50.3
1966	estimate	866,582		37,892	14,566	5.76	50.4
1967	estimate	897,157		38,885	14,974	5.75	50.5
1968	estimate	930,808		39,705	15,214	5.72	50.8
1969	estimate	965,401		40,573	15,436	5.70	51.1
1970	estimate	1,001,004		41,577	15,642	5.70	51.5
1971	estimate	1,037,541		42,729	15,892	5.70	51.9
1972	estimate	1,074,951		43,962	16,121	5.69	52.3
1973	estimate	1,113,175		45,243	16,385	5.69	52.6
1974	estimate	1,152,218		47,182	16,738	5.75	52.9
1975	estimate	1,192,622		49,300	16,990	5.83	53.5
1976	estimate	1,234,665		51,384	17,267	5.87	53.9
1977	estimate	1,271,762		53,013	17,359	5.85	54.5
1978	estimate	1,308,172		54,437	17,352	5.82	55.2
1979	estimate	1,346,308		55,728	17,288	5.79	55.8
1980	estimate	1,386,030		56,801	17,183	5.75	56.5
1981	estimate	1,427,011		57,809	17,002	5.69	57.3
1982	estimate	1,469,127		58,829	16,887	5.63	58.0
1983	estimate	1,512,336		59,762	16,863	5.56	58.5
1984	estimate	1,556,490		60,664	16,879	5.48	59.0
1985	estimate	1,601,483		61,614	17,040	5.40	59.2
1986	estimate	1,647,274		62,528	17,297	5.32	59.4
1987	estimate	1,685,002		65,296	17,578	5.22	59.6
1988	estimate	1,721,778		65,007	17,850	5.10	59.6
1989	estimate	1,757,903		64,401	18,136	4.96	59.5
1990	estimate	1,792,968		63,575	18,516	4.81	59.3
1991	estimate	1,826,424		62,988	18,961	4.68	59.1
1992	estimate	1,858,333		62,133	19,554	4.54	58.6
1993	estimate	1,888,216		60,762	20,259	4.37	58.1
1994	estimate	1,915,370		59,788	21,158	4.21	57.3
1995	estimate	1,940,044		59,643	22,274	4.13	56.4
1996	estimate	1,962,829		59,988	23,762	4.06	55.1
1997	estimate	1,982,008		60,089	25,452	3.98	53.7
1998	estimate	1,994,253		58,418	27,529	3.81	52.0
1999	estimate	2,001,845		57,007	29,614	3.67	50.4
2000	estimate	2,004,622		56,606	31,820	3.60	48.8
2001	estimate	2,003,204		57,456	34,268	3.63	47.1
2002	estimate	1,998,502		58,573	36,300	3.68	46.0
2003	estimate	1,990,856		58,151	38,018	3.62	44.9
2004	estimate	1,979,261		56,642	39,371	3.51	44.0
2005	estimate	1,962,997		55,781	39,950	3.43	43.6
2006	estimate	1,943,155		55,681	40,447	3.41	43.2
2007	estimate	1,946,970		57,589	39,828	3.44	43.7
2008	estimate	1,959,567		58,292	38,944	3.39	44.3
2009	estimate	1,973,514		58,148	37,812	3.31	45.1
2010	estimate	1,988,252		58,218	36,340	3.25	46.0
2011	estimate	2,004,250		60,840	35,195	3.34	46.9
2012	estimate	2,023,768		61,085	33,494	3.30	48.2
2013	estimate	2,044,941		61,671	31,882	3.28	49.5
2014	estimate	2,068,067		61,362	30,440	3.24	50.8
2015	estimate	2,092,111		61,408	29,322	3.22	51.8
2016	estimate	2,117,112		61,638	28,246	3.18	52.9
2017	estimate	2,143,732		60,920	27,318	3.10	53.9
2018	estimate	2,170,489		59,745	26,633	3.02	54.6
2019	estimate	2,196,717		58,417	26,138	2.92	55.3
2020	estimate	2,222,094		57,297	26,575	2.85	55.1
2021	estimate	2,249,359		56,302	28,497	2.77	54.2
2022	estimate	2,273,725		55,764	24,961	2.72	56.8
2023	estimate	2,298,496		55,728	24,612	2.69	57.4
2024	estimate	2,324,448		55,542	24,491	2.66	57.8
2025	projection	2,350,397	2.3–2.4 million	55,434	24,376	2.64	58.2
2026	projection	2,376,252	2.3–2.4 million	55,312	24,271	2.61	58.6
2027	projection	2,402,420	2.4–2.5 million	55,177	24,186	2.58	59.0
2028	projection	2,428,317	2.4–2.5 million	55,092	24,128	2.55	59.4
2029	projection	2,454,567	2.4–2.6 million	55,086	24,092	2.53	59.8
2030	projection	2,480,799	2.4–2.6 million	55,094	24,075	2.50	60.2
2031	projection	2,506,838	2.4–2.7 million	55,121	24,081	2.48	60.5
2032	projection	2,533,204	2.4–2.7 million	55,189	24,104	2.45	60.9
2033	projection	2,559,777	2.4–2.8 million	55,268	24,142	2.43	61.3
2034	projection	2,586,443	2.4–2.8 million	55,362	24,208	2.41	61.6
2035	projection	2,613,115	2.4–2.9 million	55,384	24,282	2.38	61.9
2036	projection	2,640,019	2.4–2.9 million	55,432	24,383	2.37	62.3
2037	projection	2,666,977	2.4–3.0 million	55,368	24,502	2.35	62.6
2038	projection	2,693,183	2.3–3.1 million	55,152	24,640	2.32	62.9
2039	projection	2,719,222	2.3–3.1 million	54,958	24,786	2.30	63.1
2040	projection	2,745,069	2.3–3.2 million	54,823	24,960	2.29	63.4
2041	projection	2,770,682	2.3–3.3 million	54,620	25,139	2.27	63.7
2042	projection	2,796,056	2.3–3.3 million	54,282	25,344	2.25	64.0
2043	projection	2,821,031	2.3–3.4 million	53,992	25,557	2.24	64.3
2044	projection	2,845,489	2.3–3.5 million	53,698	25,792	2.23	64.5
2045	projection	2,869,520	2.3–3.6 million	53,354	26,023	2.21	64.8
2046	projection	2,893,158	2.3–3.6 million	53,022	26,276	2.19	65.1
2047	projection	2,916,409	2.3–3.7 million	52,693	26,586	2.18	65.3
2048	projection	2,939,320	2.3–3.8 million	52,438	26,890	2.17	65.6
2049	projection	2,961,506	2.3–3.9 million	52,091	27,217	2.16	65.8
2050	projection	2,982,808	2.3–4.0 million	51,775	27,555	2.15	66.0
2051	projection	3,003,345	2.2–4.1 million	51,449	27,917	2.13	66.2
2052	projection	3,023,771	2.2–4.1 million	51,165	28,287	2.12	66.5
2053	projection	3,043,166	2.2–4.2 million	50,820	28,656	2.11	66.7
2054	projection	3,061,478	2.2–4.3 million	50,469	29,046	2.09	66.9
2055	projection	3,078,719	2.2–4.4 million	50,100	29,449	2.08	67.1
2056	projection	3,095,849	2.2–4.5 million	49,761	29,864	2.07	67.3
2057	projection	3,111,891	2.1–4.6 million	49,404	30,287	2.05	67.5
2058	projection	3,127,595	2.1–4.6 million	49,138	30,735	2.04	67.7
2059	projection	3,142,662	2.1–4.8 million	48,869	31,223	2.03	67.9
2060	projection	3,157,374	2.1–4.9 million	48,635	31,647	2.02	68.1
2061	projection	3,171,232	2.1–4.9 million	48,440	32,107	2.01	68.3
2062	projection	3,184,512	2.0–5.0 million	48,229	32,573	2.00	68.5
2063	projection	3,197,257	2.0–5.1 million	48,034	33,041	1.99	68.7
2064	projection	3,208,579	2.0–5.2 million	47,746	33,504	1.98	68.9
2065	projection	3,219,184	2.0–5.4 million	47,503	33,972	1.97	69.0
2066	projection	3,228,880	1.9–5.5 million	47,281	34,410	1.97	69.2
2067	projection	3,238,549	1.9–5.6 million	47,104	34,848	1.96	69.4
2068	projection	3,248,022	1.8–5.7 million	46,921	35,269	1.95	69.6
2069	projection	3,257,064	1.8–5.8 million	46,714	35,700	1.95	69.8
2070	projection	3,265,427	1.8–5.9 million	46,479	36,071	1.94	69.9
2071	projection	3,273,221	1.7–6.0 million	46,225	36,473	1.93	70.1
2072	projection	3,279,873	1.7–6.2 million	45,971	36,782	1.93	70.3
2073	projection	3,285,521	1.7–6.3 million	45,684	37,117	1.92	70.5
2074	projection	3,290,805	1.6–6.4 million	45,400	37,428	1.92	70.6
2075	projection	3,295,840	1.6–6.5 million	45,119	37,719	1.91	70.8
2076	projection	3,299,433	1.6–6.7 million	44,800	37,980	1.91	70.9
2077	projection	3,302,985	1.6–6.8 million	44,508	38,235	1.90	71.1
2078	projection	3,306,191	1.5–6.9 million	44,196	38,471	1.90	71.3
2079	projection	3,308,697	1.5–7.0 million	43,858	38,668	1.89	71.4
2080	projection	3,310,787	1.5–7.1 million	43,522	38,866	1.89	71.6
2081	projection	3,311,925	1.4–7.2 million	43,169	39,081	1.88	71.8
2082	projection	3,312,743	1.4–7.2 million	42,850	39,260	1.88	71.9
2083	projection	3,312,999	1.4–7.3 million	42,606	39,386	1.87	72.1
2084	projection	3,312,992	1.4–7.5 million	42,262	39,547	1.87	72.3
2085	projection	3,312,768	1.3–7.6 million	41,940	39,699	1.86	72.4
2086	projection	3,311,969	1.3–7.7 million	41,618	39,890	1.86	72.6
2087	projection	3,311,480	1.2–7.9 million	41,336	40,077	1.85	72.7
2088	projection	3,310,004	1.2–7.9 million	41,099	40,229	1.85	72.9
2089	projection	3,308,380	1.2–8.0 million	40,837	40,380	1.84	73.0
2090	projection	3,306,314	1.2–8.1 million	40,576	40,543	1.84	73.2
2091	projection	3,304,130	1.2–8.3 million	40,309	40,713	1.83	73.3
2092	projection	3,301,234	1.1–8.4 million	40,081	40,848	1.83	73.5
2093	projection	3,297,352	1.1–8.6 million	39,831	40,999	1.83	73.6
2094	projection	3,293,618	1.1–8.7 million	39,540	41,156	1.82	73.8
2095	projection	3,289,585	1.1–8.9 million	39,244	41,279	1.82	73.9
2096	projection	3,284,692	1.0–9.1 million	39,011	41,379	1.81	74.1
2097	projection	3,279,795	1.0–9.2 million	38,797	41,481	1.81	74.2
2098	projection	3,274,222	1.0–9.3 million	38,539	41,558	1.81	74.4
2099	projection	3,268,453	0.9–9.5 million	38,246	41,629	1.80	74.5
2100	projection	3,262,573	0.9–9.6 million	38,011	41,698	1.80	74.7

Show the numbers: Lesotho, mid-2026, by single year of age

Lesotho: population by single year of age, mid-2026
Age	Male	Female
0	26,759	26,262
1	26,295	25,846
2	26,140	25,690
3	26,018	25,580
4	26,024	25,599
5	26,286	25,869
6	26,676	26,266
7	27,136	26,740
8	27,599	27,230
9	27,914	27,572
10	27,894	27,586
11	27,686	27,422
12	27,601	27,378
13	27,396	27,196
14	27,053	26,868
15	26,219	26,059
16	25,387	25,253
17	25,144	25,028
18	24,731	24,635
19	23,834	23,760
20	23,017	22,970
21	22,749	22,728
22	22,812	22,830
23	22,744	22,812
24	21,937	22,069
25	20,772	20,983
26	20,019	20,310
27	19,834	20,202
28	20,002	20,436
29	19,932	20,419
30	19,502	20,042
31	19,148	19,751
32	19,052	19,722
33	19,224	19,960
34	19,394	20,191
35	19,367	20,224
36	19,261	20,189
37	19,077	20,088
38	18,716	19,810
39	17,790	18,950
40	16,631	17,840
41	15,691	16,935
42	14,751	16,003
43	13,728	15,028
44	12,658	13,976
45	11,668	12,909
46	10,746	11,892
47	9,870	10,902
48	9,038	9,946
49	8,272	9,056
50	7,542	8,216
51	6,866	7,454
52	6,298	6,836
53	5,881	6,425
54	5,575	6,171
55	5,296	5,974
56	5,044	5,832
57	4,822	5,744
58	4,617	5,685
59	4,413	5,624
60	4,203	5,546
61	3,982	5,444
62	3,761	5,319
63	3,606	5,200
64	3,470	5,068
65	3,296	4,906
66	3,117	4,722
67	2,928	4,517
68	2,729	4,295
69	2,518	4,057
70	2,285	3,798
71	2,043	3,533
72	1,802	3,257
73	1,558	2,975
74	1,328	2,704
75	1,123	2,439
76	1,125	2,411
77	1,092	2,305
78	892	1,952
79	745	1,680
80	647	1,482
81	571	1,322
82	510	1,192
83	455	1,084
84	404	990
85	354	899
86	302	786
87	252	663
88	208	548
89	168	444
90	133	354
91	102	276
92	74	210
93	53	156
94	36	112
95	24	78
96	16	54
97	10	38
98	7	25
99	4	16
100+	4	24

LSO · 1950–2100 · every age, every year

Lesotho, every age in every year

Each column is a year and each row an age; the denser the ink in a cell, the more people. Everyone born in the same year climbs one 45° diagonal, so famines, baby booms and migration show up as streaks. Select a cell to follow its generation.

LSO · ages 15–64

Who does the work in Lesotho

On the UN's projection, Lesotho will have the most working-age people it ever has in 2074: 2,229,870 people aged 15–64. In 2023 it had 1,415,770.

100 aged 15–64

57 children

6 aged 65+

aged 15–64 children under 15 aged 65 and over

How to read this: the orange squares are 100 people aged 15–64 in 2023, and the rows below are how many children (teal) and how many people aged 65 or older (violet) lived alongside them.

Fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people aged 15–64 in 46 years: 2035–2080.

fewer than 50 dependants per 100 the same, projected 50 or more

How to read this: one stripe a year from 1950 to 2100. A stripe takes colour in a year when fewer than 50 dependants live alongside every 100 people of working age, and stays grey otherwise; hatching means the year is projected.

How every country compares

LSO · arrivals minus departures

Who arrives in Lesotho, and who leaves

In 2020–2025 Lesotho loses 4,814 people a year: everyone who arrives, minus everyone who leaves. The age at which that happens most is 20–24, at 968 a year more leaving than arriving.

one square = 100 people a year

020406080+

more arrive than leave more leave than arrive

How to read this: left to right is age, from babies to 100. Blue squares above the line are ages at which more people arrive than leave; orange squares below it, ages at which more leave than arrive. These are the UN's projection for 2020–2025. There is no record of migration by age before 2020.

Across the counted years, 1950 to 2023, its biggest single-year gain was 10,605 (1970); its biggest loss, 35,679 (2005).

In 2024, 15,039 people living in Lesotho had been born in another country, fewer than 1 of every 100 people there, against fewer than 1 in 1990.

How migration works everywhere

LSO · births by the mother's age · 1950–2100

Who has the babies in Lesotho

Of every 100 babies born in Lesotho in 2023, 15 had a mother under 20, 70 a mother aged 20 to 34 and 15 a mother aged 35 or older. In 1950 it was 12 under 20 and 22 aged 35 or older.

1950
12 · 66 · 22

2023
15 · 70 · 15

2050 · projected
13 · 72 · 15

The mother's age: under 20 20 to 34 35 or older projected

How to read this: each block is 100 babies born in that year, one square each, coloured by how old the mother was. The numbers under a block are the three groups, youngest mothers first.

Babies born, 2023: 55,728
Average age when women have a baby: 27.9 years; 30.1 in 1950
Babies a year per 1,000 girls aged 15–19: 71; 92 in 1950

Babies by the mother's age, 1950–2100

Babies born in Lesotho by the mother's age
Mother's age	1950	1975	2000	2023	2050 projected	2100 projected
10–14	187	214	155	94	62	14
15–19	2,955	6,742	9,819	8,420	6,489	1,720
20–24	6,462	13,924	18,006	15,793	13,772	6,641
25–29	5,774	11,384	11,769	13,150	13,531	11,563
30–34	4,453	7,800	7,917	10,046	9,902	10,502
35–39	3,314	5,601	5,808	5,982	5,982	5,956
40–44	1,657	2,876	2,596	1,950	1,696	1,422
45–49	435	720	513	284	328	188
50–54	23	39	23	9	13	5
All babies	25,260	49,300	56,606	55,728	51,775	38,011

The UN's births for each year, split by the mother's age in the UN's own proportions.

LSO · healthy years · 2021

Years in good health in Lesotho

Of the 51.5 years a baby born in Lesotho in 2021 could expect, about 44.6 would be lived in full health (95% range 43.7–45.8). That leaves 6.9 years in less than full health, fewer than the world's 9.5, which mostly means lives are shorter here, with fewer years in which to be ill.

Women

46.4 in full health, 8.2 not: 54.6 years

Men

43.1 in full health, 5.6 not: 48.7 years

a year in full health a year in less than full health

How to read this: each square is a year of life, each row ten years; filled squares are years in full health, rounded to whole years.

Women: 46.4 healthy years of 54.6. Men: 43.1 of 48.7.

LSO · forced from home · end of 2025

Displacement in Lesotho

At the end of 2025, Lesotho was hosting 680 people who had crossed a border into it, about 0.3 of every 1,000 people living there.

hosted from abroad680
Lesotho nationals abroad58

stayed inside their own country crossed a border

How to read this: one square stands for 20 people, so the rows can be compared with one another. The last row is people from Lesotho living in another country, wherever they are.

In 2025, 43 people asked for asylum in Lesotho for the first time; 14 people from Lesotho asked for asylum in another country. Who asks for asylum, and who is given it

How the world's displacement is counted

LSO · of every 100 people

How people live in Lesotho

Of every 100 people in Lesotho in 2025, 12 lived in a city, 28 in a town or suburb and 60 in the countryside.

cities towns and suburbs rural areas

39.4 of every 100 have no electricity at home (2024). 48.2 of every 100 do not use the internet (2024).

How to read this: 100 squares, one for every 100th person, coloured by where they live, as the key says. The same rule is used in every country.

How the world's people live

LSO · adults 25 and over · 2020

How far people in Lesotho went in school

Of every 100 adults in Lesotho in 2020, 9 never went to school and 21 finished upper secondary or went further.

9 never went to school 29 some primary 31 finished primary 10 finished lower secondary 12 finished upper secondary 9 studied after school

Among women, 0.8 of every 100 aged 25–29 never went to school, against 6 of every 100 aged 60–64; among men, 5.4 against 30.4.

Its people aged 15 to 64 are projected to be most numerous in 2065; the ones who finished upper secondary are most numerous later, in 2085.

How to read this: the row is the adults (25 and over) shrunk to 100 people, coloured by how far each went in school, least schooling on the left. The Wittgenstein Centre's count, 2020.

How far the world's people went in school

LSO · cities · 2025

Cities in Lesotho

Lesotho had 1 city in 2025, home to 286,843 people. The largest, Maseru, holds 12 of every 100 people in Lesotho.

Maseru286,843

How to read this: the one city here in 2025, drawn on a single scale so the bars can be compared. Each is a built-up area on the UN's rule rather than a city government's patch.

All the world's cities

Apparatus

Sources and method

Every figure on this page comes from the UN's World Population Prospects 2024: the annual country tables (estimates to 2023, projections with 95% intervals from 2024), and the population by single year of age and sex for the pyramid.

The censuses, surveys and registers behind the UN's estimates for Lesotho are listed, source by source, on the UN's own data sources page.

Sources: UN WPP 2024 · World Bank · UNHCR · country code lists · UN WUP 2025 · Wittgenstein Centre · WHO GHO · flag-icons · Natural Earth. Every source, its licence and how to cite it →

Checked before it was drawn

Verified 2026-09-30 · 73 canaries The pyramid for every year was checked against the published total. What that stamp counts, and what every page here has to pass before it can be built: how this site checks its figures.