Birth rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Birth rate was 24.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
24.11 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
58th
of 236 countries
All-time high
45.12 births per 1,000 people
in 1956
All-time low
24.11 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate in Lesotho is 24.11 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 19.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Lesotho peaked at 45.12 births per 1,000 people in 1956 and was at its lowest, 24.11 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Lesotho 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 43.59 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 43.93 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 44.19 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 44.42 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 44.84 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 44.95 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 45.12 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1957 | 45.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1958 | 45 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 44.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1960 | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 44.34 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 44.08 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 43.75 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 43.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 43.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 42.97 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 42.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 41.88 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 41.27 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 40.79 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 40.45 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 40.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 39.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 40.24 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 40.62 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 41 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 41.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 41.02 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 40.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 40.38 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 39.92 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 39.46 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 38.95 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 38.42 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 37.93 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 37.53 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 38.33 births per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 37.36 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 36.27 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 35.13 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 34.19 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 33.17 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 31.95 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 31.02 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 30.56 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 30.41 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 30.22 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 29.24 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 28.46 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 28.25 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 28.72 births per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 29.36 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 29.29 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 28.74 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 28.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 28.63 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 29.48 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 29.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 29.35 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 29.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 30.21 births per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 30.03 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 29.99 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 29.5 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 29.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 28.93 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 28.24 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 27.36 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 26.44 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 25.63 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 24.9 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 24.39 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 24.11 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 24.11 births per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.89 births per 1,000 people, 93% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 24.11 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 44.6 births per 1,000 people | 43.59 births per 1,000 people | 45.12 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 43.22 births per 1,000 people | 41.27 births per 1,000 people | 44.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.61 births per 1,000 people | 39.94 births per 1,000 people | 41.1 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.46 births per 1,000 people | 36.27 births per 1,000 people | 40.38 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.43 births per 1,000 people | 28.46 births per 1,000 people | 35.13 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29 births per 1,000 people | 28.25 births per 1,000 people | 29.64 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.9 births per 1,000 people | 26.44 births per 1,000 people | 30.21 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.76 births per 1,000 people | 24.11 births per 1,000 people | 25.63 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 3.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Lesotho?
- Birth rate in Lesotho was 24.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 45.12 births per 1,000 people in 1956.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.11 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for birth rate?
- Lesotho ranks 58th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. 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
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.