Share of population urban in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population urban was 44.67 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
44.67
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
175th
of 236 countries
All-time high
44.67
in 2025
All-time low
1.75
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in Lesotho, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population urban in Lesotho is 44.67, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in Lesotho peaked at 44.67 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.75, in 1950.
That places Lesotho 175th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population urban in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.75 | — |
| 1951 | 1.76 | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 1.8 | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 1.86 | +3.3% |
| 1954 | 1.94 | +4.1% |
| 1955 | 2.02 | +4.6% |
| 1956 | 2.13 | +5.3% |
| 1957 | 2.34 | +9.7% |
| 1958 | 2.68 | +14.7% |
| 1959 | 3.13 | +16.7% |
| 1960 | 3.66 | +16.9% |
| 1961 | 4.24 | +16.0% |
| 1962 | 4.86 | +14.5% |
| 1963 | 5.47 | +12.7% |
| 1964 | 6.07 | +10.9% |
| 1965 | 6.62 | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 7.1 | +7.3% |
| 1967 | 7.59 | +6.9% |
| 1968 | 8.12 | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 8.68 | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 9.22 | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 9.75 | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 10.22 | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 10.62 | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 10.94 | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 11.13 | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 11.2 | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 11.21 | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 11.22 | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 11.23 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 11.24 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 11.24 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 11.25 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 11.25 | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 11.26 | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 11.28 | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 11.3 | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 11.46 | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 11.8 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 12.29 | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 12.88 | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 13.56 | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 14.29 | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 15.04 | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 15.78 | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 16.47 | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 17.09 | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 17.66 | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 18.22 | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 18.77 | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 19.33 | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 19.9 | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 20.49 | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 21.12 | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 21.8 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 22.53 | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 23.33 | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 24.22 | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 25.2 | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 26.26 | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 27.4 | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 28.61 | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 29.9 | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 31.24 | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 32.64 | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 34.09 | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 35.51 | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 36.53 | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 37.57 | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 38.6 | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 39.63 | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 40.66 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 41.67 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 42.68 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 43.68 | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 44.67 | +2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 44.67 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.87, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 44.67 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.89, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.14 | 1.75 | 3.13 | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.24 | 3.66 | 8.68 | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.67 | 9.22 | 11.23 | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.44 | 11.24 | 12.29 | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.98 | 12.88 | 18.77 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.42 | 19.33 | 26.26 | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.21 | 27.4 | 38.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.16 | 39.63 | 44.67 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 172 Zambia 45.92 compare
- 173 Seychelles 45.48 compare
- 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.11 compare
- 176 Central African Republic 44.55 compare
- 177 Togo 44.4 compare
- 178 Moldova 43.73 compare
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 share of population urban in Lesotho?
- Share of population urban in Lesotho was 44.67 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.67 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.75 in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population urban?
- Lesotho ranks 175th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).