How does Lesotho rank for fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious?

Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious rising or falling in Lesotho?

Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Lesotho data come from?

The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious in Lesotho

Name: Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious in Lesotho
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Lesotho: Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

2.69 live births per woman

Change on year

down 0.8%

World rank

72nd

of 236 countries

All-time high

5.87 live births per woman

in 1976

All-time low

2.69 live births per woman

in 2023

Years of data

1950–2023

Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious in Lesotho, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 2.69 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious in Lesotho peaked at 5.87 live births per woman in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.69 live births per woman, in 2023.

That places Lesotho 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	5.76 live births per woman	5.7 live births per woman	5.79 live births per woman	10
1960s	5.76 live births per woman	5.7 live births per woman	5.79 live births per woman	10
1970s	5.77 live births per woman	5.69 live births per woman	5.87 live births per woman	10
1980s	5.41 live births per woman	4.96 live births per woman	5.75 live births per woman	10
1990s	4.23 live births per woman	3.67 live births per woman	4.81 live births per woman	10
2000s	3.5 live births per woman	3.31 live births per woman	3.68 live births per woman	10
2010s	3.19 live births per woman	2.92 live births per woman	3.34 live births per woman	10
2020s	2.76 live births per woman	2.69 live births per woman	2.85 live births per woman	4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

69 Saint Martin (French part) 2.72 live births per woman compare
70 Syria 2.71 live births per woman compare
71 East Timor 2.71 live births per woman compare
73 Turkmenistan 2.69 live births per woman compare
74 Mongolia 2.69 live births per woman compare
75 Haiti 2.66 live births per woman compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Lesotho

Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
World population growth -0.2% (2100)
Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Refugees by country of asylum 419 people (2024)
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Natural population growth rate 1.3% (2023)
Fertility rate: births per woman 2.69 live births per woman (2023)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious in Lesotho?: Fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious in Lesotho was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 5.87 live births per woman in 1976.
What is the lowest fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 2.69 live births per woman in 2023.
How does Lesotho rank for fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious?: Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is fertility rate vs. share of people who are religious rising or falling in Lesotho?: Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?: The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fertility rate vs. Share of people who are religious
Unit: live births per woman
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.