Total population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Total population was 2,350 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Lesotho, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2,350 thousands for total population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Lesotho peaked at 2,350 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,001 thousands, in 1970.
That places Lesotho 144th out of 230 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1,173 thousands | 1,001 thousands | 1,346 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,576 thousands | 1,386 thousands | 1,758 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,916 thousands | 1,793 thousands | 2,002 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,976 thousands | 1,943 thousands | 2,005 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,085 thousands | 1,988 thousands | 2,197 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,286 thousands | 2,222 thousands | 2,350 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More population data for Lesotho
- Population growth rate by level of development -0.201 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 190,191 (2100)
- Population density 107.36 (2100)
- Population growth rate -0.201 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 2.66 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 419 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 2.66 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 2.66 (2024)
- Natural population growth 1.35 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 2.69 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Lesotho?
- Total population in Lesotho was 2,350 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2,350 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,001 thousands in 1970.
- How does Lesotho rank for total population?
- Lesotho ranks 144th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release