Share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population living in rural areas was 62.26 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
62.26
World rank
11th
of 229 countries
All-time high
86.46
in 1950
All-time low
62.24
in 2000
Years of data
15
1950–2020
Share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho, 1950–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho stood at 62.26.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho peaked at 86.46 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 62.24, in 2000.
Lesotho ranks 11th of 229 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 86.46 | — |
| 1955 | 85.61 | -1.0% |
| 1960 | 84.32 | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 82.76 | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 80.77 | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 78.57 | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 72.84 | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 69.76 | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 65.66 | -5.9% |
| 1995 | 63.98 | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 62.24 | -2.7% |
| 2005 | 63.33 | +1.7% |
| 2010 | 63.38 | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 62.86 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 62.26 | -1.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 86.03 | 85.61 | 86.46 | 2 |
| 1960s | 83.54 | 82.76 | 84.32 | 2 |
| 1970s | 79.67 | 78.57 | 80.77 | 2 |
| 1980s | 71.3 | 69.76 | 72.84 | 2 |
| 1990s | 64.82 | 63.98 | 65.66 | 2 |
| 2000s | 62.78 | 62.24 | 63.33 | 2 |
| 2010s | 63.12 | 62.86 | 63.38 | 2 |
| 2020s | 62.26 | 62.26 | 62.26 | 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)
- Population aged 65 years or older (thousands), annual growth rate 1.79 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho?
- Share of population living in rural areas in Lesotho was 62.26 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 86.46 in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.24 in 2000.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population living in rural areas?
- Lesotho ranks 11th out of 229 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. 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).