Population by age group with projections in Lesotho

Lesotho: Population by age group with projections was 2.31 million in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
2.31 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
147th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.31 million
in 2023
All-time low
579,554
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population by age group with projections in Lesotho, 1950–2023

500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 2.31 million for population by age group with projections in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by age group with projections in Lesotho peaked at 2.31 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 579,554, in 1950.

Lesotho ranks 147th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Population by age group with projections in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Population by age group with projections in Lesotho, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 579,554 —
1951 590,270 +1.8%
1952 601,947 +2.0%
1953 614,478 +2.1%
1954 627,902 +2.2%
1955 642,186 +2.3%
1956 657,317 +2.4%
1957 674,674 +2.6%
1958 694,324 +2.9%
1959 714,949 +3.0%
1960 736,507 +3.0%
1961 758,833 +3.0%
1962 781,819 +3.0%
1963 805,374 +3.0%
1964 829,442 +3.0%
1965 854,094 +3.0%
1966 881,879 +3.3%
1967 913,986 +3.6%
1968 948,108 +3.7%
1969 983,200 +3.7%
1970 1.02 million +3.7%
1971 1.06 million +3.6%
1972 1.09 million +3.6%
1973 1.13 million +3.5%
1974 1.17 million +3.5%
1975 1.21 million +3.5%
1976 1.25 million +3.3%
1977 1.29 million +2.9%
1978 1.33 million +2.9%
1979 1.37 million +2.9%
1980 1.41 million +3.0%
1981 1.45 million +3.0%
1982 1.49 million +2.9%
1983 1.53 million +2.9%
1984 1.58 million +2.9%
1985 1.62 million +2.9%
1986 1.67 million +2.6%
1987 1.70 million +2.2%
1988 1.74 million +2.1%
1989 1.78 million +2.0%
1990 1.81 million +1.9%
1991 1.84 million +1.8%
1992 1.87 million +1.7%
1993 1.90 million +1.5%
1994 1.93 million +1.4%
1995 1.95 million +1.2%
1996 1.97 million +1.1%
1997 1.99 million +0.8%
1998 2.00 million +0.5%
1999 2.00 million +0.3%
2000 2.00 million +0.0%
2001 2.00 million -0.2%
2002 1.99 million -0.3%
2003 1.99 million -0.5%
2004 1.97 million -0.7%
2005 1.95 million -0.9%
2006 1.95 million -0.4%
2007 1.95 million +0.4%
2008 1.97 million +0.7%
2009 1.98 million +0.7%
2010 2.00 million +0.8%
2011 2.01 million +0.9%
2012 2.03 million +1.0%
2013 2.06 million +1.1%
2014 2.08 million +1.1%
2015 2.10 million +1.2%
2016 2.13 million +1.2%
2017 2.16 million +1.3%
2018 2.18 million +1.2%
2019 2.21 million +1.2%
2020 2.24 million +1.2%
2021 2.26 million +1.2%
2022 2.29 million +1.1%
2023 2.31 million +1.1%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 2.31 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 12.20 million, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 2.31 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.26 million, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 639,760 579,554 714,949 10
1960s 849,324 736,507 983,200 10
1970s 1.19 million 1.02 million 1.37 million 10
1980s 1.60 million 1.41 million 1.78 million 10
1990s 1.93 million 1.81 million 2.00 million 10
2000s 1.98 million 1.95 million 2.00 million 10
2010s 2.10 million 2.00 million 2.21 million 10
2020s 2.27 million 2.24 million 2.31 million 4

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 144 Gambia 2.70 million compare
  2. 145 Gabon 2.48 million compare
  3. 146 Botswana 2.48 million compare
  4. 148 Guinea-Bissau 2.15 million compare
  5. 149 Slovenia 2.12 million compare
  6. 150 Latvia 1.88 million compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by age group with projections in Lesotho?
Population by age group with projections in Lesotho was 2.31 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by age group with projections recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 2.31 million in 2023.
What is the lowest population by age group with projections recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 579,554 in 1950.
How does Lesotho rank for population by age group with projections?
Lesotho ranks 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population by age group with projections rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population by age group with projections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population by age group with projections in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-by-age-group-with-projections/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Population by age group with projections
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed