Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands) was 806.49 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
806.49 thousands
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
134th
of 233 countries
All-time high
822.12 thousands
in 1997
All-time low
438.79 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 14 years or younger in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 806.49 thousands for population aged 14 years or younger in 2025.
The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 14 years or younger in Lesotho peaked at 822.12 thousands in 1997 and was at its lowest, 438.79 thousands, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 134th out of 233 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 438.79 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 450.12 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 461.42 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 472.89 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1974 | 484.71 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 497.65 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 512 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 526.7 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 543.51 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 562.2 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 582.11 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 602.6 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1982 | 623.39 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1983 | 644.47 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1984 | 665.74 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 687.04 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 708.39 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 713.24 thousands | +0.7% |
| 1988 | 733.06 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 751.98 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 769.14 thousands | +2.3% |
| 1991 | 783.96 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 796.52 thousands | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 806.63 thousands | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 813.73 thousands | +0.9% |
| 1995 | 818.22 thousands | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 820.94 thousands | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 822.12 thousands | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 817.38 thousands | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 809.61 thousands | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 799.43 thousands | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 787.85 thousands | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 776.18 thousands | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 763.44 thousands | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 750.53 thousands | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 736.9 thousands | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 723.43 thousands | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 718.75 thousands | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 719.61 thousands | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 722.79 thousands | +0.4% |
| 2010 | 727.05 thousands | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 731.87 thousands | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 739.16 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 746.63 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 756.01 thousands | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 765.98 thousands | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 775.74 thousands | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 784.28 thousands | +1.1% |
| 2018 | 790.15 thousands | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 794.78 thousands | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 799.16 thousands | +0.6% |
| 2021 | 803.51 thousands | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 806.58 thousands | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 807.27 thousands | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 807.23 thousands | -0.0% |
| 2025 | 806.49 thousands | -0.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 806.49 thousands is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3,784 thousands, 21% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 806.49 thousands is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6,195 thousands, 13% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 495 thousands | 438.79 thousands | 562.2 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 671.2 thousands | 582.11 thousands | 751.98 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 805.82 thousands | 769.14 thousands | 822.12 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 749.89 thousands | 718.75 thousands | 799.43 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 761.17 thousands | 727.05 thousands | 794.78 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 805.04 thousands | 799.16 thousands | 807.27 thousands | 6 |
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 population aged 14 years or younger in Lesotho?
- Population aged 14 years or younger in Lesotho was 806.49 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 14 years or younger recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 822.12 thousands in 1997.
- What is the lowest population aged 14 years or younger recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 438.79 thousands in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for population aged 14 years or younger?
- Lesotho ranks 134th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 14 years or younger rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release