Lesotho vs South Africa: Population by income level, annual growth rate
Lesotho
1.11 % change on previous year
in 2025
South Africa
1.16 % change on previous year
in 2025
Lesotho rank
96th
South Africa rank
93rd
Population by income level, annual growth rate over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.16 % change on previous year against 1.11 % change on previous year in Lesotho, a difference of 0.05 % change on previous year.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Lesotho ahead.
Lesotho ranks 96th and South Africa ranks 93rd of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.26 % change on previous year | 3.09 % change on previous year | 0.1754 % change on previous year | Lesotho |
| 1970s | 3.34 % change on previous year | 2.85 % change on previous year | 0.4924 % change on previous year | Lesotho |
| 1980s | 2.66 % change on previous year | 3.3 % change on previous year | 0.6474 % change on previous year | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.22 % change on previous year | 1.66 % change on previous year | 0.4477 % change on previous year | South Africa |
| 2000s | -0.1107 % change on previous year | 1.02 % change on previous year | 1.13 % change on previous year | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.1 % change on previous year | 1.43 % change on previous year | 0.3273 % change on previous year | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.13 % change on previous year | 1.39 % change on previous year | 0.265 % change on previous year | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population by income level, annual growth rate, Lesotho or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1.16 % change on previous year against 1.11 % change on previous year in Lesotho as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population by income level, annual growth rate between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 0.05 % change on previous year, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for population by income level, annual growth rate?
- Lesotho ranks 96th and South Africa ranks 93rd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Statizoid (derived), published as Population by income level, annual growth rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The year-on-year percentage change in Population by income level. Computed from consecutive annual observations; years either side of a gap are skipped rather than bridged.