Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 32.8% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho, 1980–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho stood at 32.8%. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho peaked at 32.8% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 20.5%, in 1980.
Lesotho ranks 61st of 179 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 20.5% | — |
| 1985 | 29.2% | +42.4% |
| 1990 | 28.3% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 28.8% | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 28.1% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 29.8% | +6.1% |
| 2010 | 30.1% | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 29.8% | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 32.8% | +10.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 32.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 1.3× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 32.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 24.9% | 20.5% | 29.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 28.5% | 28.3% | 28.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 28.9% | 28.1% | 29.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 30.0% | 29.8% | 30.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 32.8% | 32.8% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More population data for Lesotho
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.3315 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run 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 regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.1905 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.6353 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Lesotho was 32.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 32.8% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.5% in 1980.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Lesotho ranks 61st out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.