Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 44.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
44.7%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
175th
of 236 countries
All-time high
44.7%
in 2025
All-time low
1.8%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 44.7% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho peaked at 44.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 1950.
Lesotho ranks 175th of 236 countries on this measure, 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 living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.8% | — |
| 1951 | 1.8% | +0.8% |
| 1952 | 1.8% | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 1.9% | +3.3% |
| 1954 | 1.9% | +4.1% |
| 1955 | 2.0% | +4.6% |
| 1956 | 2.1% | +5.3% |
| 1957 | 2.3% | +9.7% |
| 1958 | 2.7% | +14.7% |
| 1959 | 3.1% | +16.7% |
| 1960 | 3.7% | +16.9% |
| 1961 | 4.2% | +16.0% |
| 1962 | 4.9% | +14.5% |
| 1963 | 5.5% | +12.7% |
| 1964 | 6.1% | +10.9% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 7.1% | +7.3% |
| 1967 | 7.6% | +6.9% |
| 1968 | 8.1% | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 8.7% | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 9.2% | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 9.7% | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 10.2% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 10.6% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 10.9% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 11.1% | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 11.2% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 11.3% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 11.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 11.8% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 12.3% | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 13.6% | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 16.5% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 17.7% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 18.2% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 18.8% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 19.9% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 28.6% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 29.9% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 31.2% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 32.6% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 34.1% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 35.5% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 36.5% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 37.6% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 38.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 39.6% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 40.7% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 42.7% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 43.7% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 44.7% | +2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 44.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 44.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.7% | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.0% | 12.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 19.3% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.2% | 27.4% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.2% | 39.6% | 44.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 172 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 173 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 176 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
- 177 Togo 44.4% compare
- 178 Moldova 43.7% 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)
- World population growth -0.2% (2100)
- Population density 107.36 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 190,191 people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.2% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 3.4 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Lesotho was 44.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Lesotho ranks 175th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas 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 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. 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).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.