Population aged 15-24 years (thousands) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population aged 15-24 years (thousands) was 465.63 thousands in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
465.63 thousands
Change on year
up 1.6%
World rank
135th
of 233 countries
All-time high
471.76 thousands
in 2009
All-time low
176.46 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 15-24 years in Lesotho, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, population aged 15-24 years in Lesotho stood at 465.63 thousands.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 15-24 years in Lesotho peaked at 471.76 thousands in 2009 and was at its lowest, 176.46 thousands, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 135th 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 15-24 years (thousands) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 176.46 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 186.27 thousands | +5.6% |
| 1972 | 196.33 thousands | +5.4% |
| 1973 | 206.23 thousands | +5.0% |
| 1974 | 215.03 thousands | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 222.38 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 233.24 thousands | +4.9% |
| 1977 | 243.77 thousands | +4.5% |
| 1978 | 253.09 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 261.25 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 268.76 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 276.03 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 283.1 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 290.12 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 297.18 thousands | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 304.45 thousands | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 312.08 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 327.18 thousands | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 331.35 thousands | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 336.14 thousands | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 341.69 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 348.12 thousands | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 355.65 thousands | +2.2% |
| 1993 | 364.11 thousands | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 373.55 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 383.95 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 395.04 thousands | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 406.05 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 416.12 thousands | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 426.43 thousands | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 435.88 thousands | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 444.06 thousands | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 450.73 thousands | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 457.08 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 461.03 thousands | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 462.33 thousands | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 460.85 thousands | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 465.91 thousands | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 470.42 thousands | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 471.76 thousands | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 470.91 thousands | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 468.63 thousands | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 465.53 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 460.51 thousands | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 454.35 thousands | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 447.9 thousands | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 442.5 thousands | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 439.57 thousands | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 439.66 thousands | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 441.34 thousands | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 442.97 thousands | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 445.59 thousands | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 448.47 thousands | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 452.36 thousands | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 458.52 thousands | +1.4% |
| 2025 | 465.63 thousands | +1.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 465.63 thousands is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,267 thousands, 21% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 465.63 thousands is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3,007 thousands, 15% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 219.41 thousands | 176.46 thousands | 261.25 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 302.64 thousands | 268.76 thousands | 336.14 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 381.07 thousands | 341.69 thousands | 426.43 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 458 thousands | 435.88 thousands | 471.76 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 453.09 thousands | 439.57 thousands | 470.91 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 452.26 thousands | 442.97 thousands | 465.63 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 15-24 years in Lesotho?
- Population aged 15-24 years in Lesotho was 465.63 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 15-24 years recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 471.76 thousands in 2009.
- What is the lowest population aged 15-24 years recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 176.46 thousands in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for population aged 15-24 years?
- Lesotho ranks 135th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 15-24 years rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.0%. 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 15-24 years (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