Population peak status in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population peak status 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 peak status in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, population peak status in Lesotho stood at 2.31 million. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population peak status in Lesotho peaked at 2.31 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 579,554, in 1950.
That places Lesotho 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Population peak status in Lesotho, year by year
| 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
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 peak status in Lesotho?
- Population peak status in Lesotho was 2.31 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population peak status recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.31 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest population peak status recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 579,554 in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for population peak status?
- Lesotho ranks 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population peak status 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 peak status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).