Natural population growth rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Natural population growth rate was 1.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Natural population growth rate in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for natural population growth rate in Lesotho is 1.3%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, natural population growth rate in Lesotho peaked at 2.8% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.8%, in 2006.
Lesotho ranks 82nd 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.4% | 1.9% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.7% | 2.6% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.7% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.8% | 2.6% | 2.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.2% | 1.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 2.69 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is natural population growth rate in Lesotho?
- Natural population growth rate in Lesotho was 1.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest natural population growth rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.8% in 1981.
- What is the lowest natural population growth rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8% in 2006.
- How does Lesotho rank for natural population growth rate?
- Lesotho ranks 82nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is natural population growth rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. 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 Natural population growth 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
Births minus deaths, as a share of the population. This is the part of population change that comes only from births and deaths, ignoring migration.