Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) was 69.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Lesotho, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Lesotho is 69.1%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Lesotho peaked at 91.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 69.1%, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 27th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 91.4% | — |
| 1971 | 91.0% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 90.5% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 90.1% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 89.6% | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 89.2% | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 88.8% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 88.7% | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 88.7% | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 88.6% | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 88.5% | -0.1% |
| 1981 | 88.5% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 88.4% | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 88.4% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 88.3% | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 88.2% | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 88.1% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 87.6% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 87.1% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 86.6% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 86.0% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 85.5% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 84.9% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 84.3% | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 83.7% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 83.0% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 82.4% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 82.0% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 81.5% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 81.0% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 80.5% | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 79.9% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 79.4% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 78.9% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 78.3% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 77.8% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 77.2% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 76.7% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 76.2% | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 75.7% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 75.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 74.7% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 74.3% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 73.9% | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 73.5% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 73.1% | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 72.7% | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 72.3% | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 71.8% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 71.4% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 71.0% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 70.5% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 70.1% | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 69.6% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 69.1% | -0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 69.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 53.1%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 69.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 54.5%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 89.7% | 88.6% | 91.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.0% | 86.6% | 88.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 83.4% | 81.0% | 86.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.0% | 75.7% | 80.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 73.3% | 71.4% | 75.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 70.0% | 69.1% | 71.0% | 5 |
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 rural population in Lesotho?
- Rural population in Lesotho was 69.1% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 91.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 69.1% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for rural population?
- Lesotho ranks 27th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release