Population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population of cities towns and villages was 1.39 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
1.39 million
World rank
119th
of 236 countries
All-time high
1.39 million
in 2020
All-time low
501,079
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho stood at 1.39 million. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho peaked at 1.39 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 501,079, in 1950.
That places Lesotho 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 501,079 | — |
| 1955 | 549,753 | +9.7% |
| 1960 | 621,023 | +13.0% |
| 1965 | 706,877 | +13.8% |
| 1970 | 823,218 | +16.5% |
| 1975 | 953,604 | +15.8% |
| 1980 | 1.02 million | +7.4% |
| 1985 | 1.13 million | +10.6% |
| 1990 | 1.19 million | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 1.25 million | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 1.25 million | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 1.24 million | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.27 million | +2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.32 million | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 1.39 million | +5.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.39 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.40 million, 41% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.39 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.66 million, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 525,416 | 501,079 | 549,753 | 2 |
| 1960s | 663,950 | 621,023 | 706,877 | 2 |
| 1970s | 888,411 | 823,218 | 953,604 | 2 |
| 1980s | 1.08 million | 1.02 million | 1.13 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.22 million | 1.19 million | 1.25 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.24 million | 1.24 million | 1.25 million | 2 |
| 2010s | 1.29 million | 1.27 million | 1.32 million | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.39 million | 1.39 million | 1.39 million | 1 |
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)
- Population growth rate -0.201 (2100)
- Population density 107.36 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 190,191 (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.201 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho?
- Population of cities towns and villages in Lesotho was 1.39 million in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population of cities towns and villages recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.39 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest population of cities towns and villages recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 501,079 in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for population of cities towns and villages?
- Lesotho ranks 119th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is population of cities towns and villages rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.0%. 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 of cities towns and villages. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).