Fertility rate with projections in Lesotho
Lesotho: Fertility rate with projections was 2.69 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.69
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
72nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.87
in 1976
All-time low
2.69
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate with projections in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.69 for fertility rate with projections in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate with projections in Lesotho peaked at 5.87 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.69, in 2023.
Lesotho ranks 72nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate with projections in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.7 | — |
| 1951 | 5.72 | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 5.73 | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 5.75 | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 5.79 | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 5.79 | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 5.79 | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 5.78 | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 5.79 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 5.78 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 5.76 | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.77 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 5.76 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.75 | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 5.72 | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 5.7 | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 5.7 | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 5.7 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 5.69 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.69 | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 5.75 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.83 | +1.3% |
| 1976 | 5.87 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 5.85 | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.82 | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 5.79 | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 5.75 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 5.69 | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 5.63 | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 5.56 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.48 | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 5.4 | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 5.32 | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.22 | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.1 | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 4.96 | -2.7% |
| 1990 | 4.81 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 4.68 | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 4.54 | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 4.37 | -3.9% |
| 1994 | 4.21 | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 4.12 | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 4.06 | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.98 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.81 | -4.2% |
| 1999 | 3.67 | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 3.6 | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.63 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 3.68 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 3.62 | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 3.51 | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 3.43 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.41 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.44 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 3.39 | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 3.31 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 3.25 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.34 | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3 | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 3.28 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.24 | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 3.22 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.18 | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.1 | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 3.02 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 2.92 | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 2.85 | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 2.77 | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 2.72 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.69 | -0.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.69 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15, 86% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.69 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 67% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.76 | 5.7 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.76 | 5.7 | 5.79 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.77 | 5.69 | 5.87 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.41 | 4.96 | 5.75 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.23 | 3.67 | 4.81 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.5 | 3.31 | 3.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.19 | 2.92 | 3.34 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.76 | 2.69 | 2.85 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 69 Saint Martin (French Part) 2.72 compare
- 70 Syria 2.71 compare
- 71 East Timor 2.71 compare
- 73 Turkmenistan 2.69 compare
- 74 Mongolia 2.69 compare
- 75 Haiti 2.66 compare
More population data for Lesotho
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.14 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3315 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6353 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.201 (2100)
- Population density 107.36 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 190,191 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.201 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate with projections in Lesotho?
- Fertility rate with projections in Lesotho was 2.69 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate with projections recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 in 1976.
- What is the lowest fertility rate with projections recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.69 in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for fertility rate with projections?
- Lesotho ranks 72nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate with projections 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate with projections. 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).