What is population in Lesotho?

Population in Lesotho was 2.31 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest population recorded in Lesotho?

The highest recorded value was 2.31 million people in 2023.

What is the lowest population recorded in Lesotho?

The lowest recorded value was 579,554 people in 1950.

How does Lesotho rank for population?

Lesotho ranks 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is population 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Population in Lesotho

Name: Population in Lesotho
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Lesotho: Population was 2.31 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

2.31 million people

Change on year

up 1.1%

World rank

147th

of 236 countries

All-time high

2.31 million people

in 2023

All-time low

579,554 people

in 1950

Years of data

1950–2023

Population in Lesotho, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population in Lesotho is 2.31 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population in Lesotho peaked at 2.31 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 579,554 people, 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.

Averages by decade

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

Countries ranked near Lesotho

144 Gambia 2.70 million people compare
145 Gabon 2.48 million people compare
146 Botswana 2.48 million people compare
148 Guinea-Bissau 2.15 million people compare
149 Slovenia 2.12 million people compare
150 Latvia 1.88 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Lesotho

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)
Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Refugees by country of asylum 419 people (2024)
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 2.66 births per woman (2024)
Natural population growth rate 1.3% (2023)
Fertility rate: births per woman 2.69 live births per woman (2023)

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is population in Lesotho?: Population in Lesotho was 2.31 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population recorded in Lesotho?: The highest recorded value was 2.31 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest population recorded in Lesotho?: The lowest recorded value was 579,554 people in 1950.
How does Lesotho rank for population?: Lesotho ranks 147th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population 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 UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population. 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).

About this data

Indicator: Population
Unit: people
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.