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Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Lesotho

Lesotho: Urban and rural population projected to 2050 was 1.03 million people in 2050. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2050)
1.03 million people
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
119th
of 238 countries
All-time high
1.64 million people
in 1997
All-time low
32,004 people
in 1000
Years of data
133
1000–2050

Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Lesotho, 1000–2050

0500.0k1.0M1.5M100015252050

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 1.03 million people for urban and rural population projected to 2050 in 2050.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 10.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Lesotho peaked at 1.64 million people in 1997 and was at its lowest, 32,004 people, in 1000.

That places Lesotho 119th out of 238 countries with data for 2050, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 32,004 people 32,004 people 32,004 people 1
1100s 36,576 people 36,576 people 36,576 people 1
1200s 41,801 people 41,801 people 41,801 people 1
1300s 47,772 people 47,772 people 47,772 people 1
1400s 54,594 people 54,594 people 54,594 people 1
1500s 62,387 people 62,387 people 62,387 people 1
1600s 71,278 people 71,278 people 71,278 people 1
1700s 81,388 people 81,388 people 81,388 people 1
1710s 83,718 people 83,718 people 83,718 people 1
1720s 86,220 people 86,220 people 86,220 people 1
1730s 88,913 people 88,913 people 88,913 people 1
1740s 91,819 people 91,819 people 91,819 people 1
1750s 94,967 people 94,967 people 94,967 people 1
1760s 98,391 people 98,391 people 98,391 people 1
1770s 102,131 people 102,131 people 102,131 people 1
1780s 106,237 people 106,237 people 106,237 people 1
1790s 110,769 people 110,769 people 110,769 people 1
1800s 115,802 people 115,802 people 115,802 people 1
1810s 121,430 people 121,430 people 121,430 people 1
1820s 127,775 people 127,775 people 127,775 people 1
1830s 134,994 people 134,994 people 134,994 people 1
1840s 143,294 people 143,294 people 143,294 people 1
1850s 152,960 people 152,960 people 152,960 people 1
1860s 164,387 people 164,387 people 164,387 people 1
1870s 178,149 people 178,149 people 178,149 people 1
1880s 195,110 people 195,110 people 195,110 people 1
1890s 216,641 people 216,641 people 216,641 people 1
1900s 245,069 people 245,069 people 245,069 people 1
1910s 284,730 people 284,730 people 284,730 people 1
1920s 344,816 people 344,816 people 344,816 people 1
1930s 449,315 people 449,315 people 449,315 people 1
1940s 690,505 people 690,505 people 690,505 people 1
1950s 625,881 people 569,409 people 692,572 people 10
1960s 795,086 people 709,556 people 897,906 people 10
1970s 1.06 million people 925,260 people 1.21 million people 10
1980s 1.41 million people 1.25 million people 1.56 million people 10
1990s 1.62 million people 1.58 million people 1.64 million people 10
2000s 1.53 million people 1.46 million people 1.62 million people 10
2010s 1.40 million people 1.36 million people 1.45 million people 10
2020s 1.31 million people 1.27 million people 1.35 million people 10
2030s 1.21 million people 1.16 million people 1.26 million people 10
2040s 1.10 million people 1.04 million people 1.15 million people 10
2050s 1.03 million people 1.03 million people 1.03 million people 1

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 116 Finland 1.13 million people compare
  2. 117 Bulgaria 1.05 million people compare
  3. 118 Chile 1.04 million people compare
  4. 120 Switzerland 1.03 million people compare
  5. 121 Eswatini 993,361 people compare
  6. 122 East Timor 981,162 people compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More population data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Lesotho?
Urban and rural population projected to 2050 in Lesotho was 1.03 million people in 2050, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban and rural population projected to 2050 recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 1.64 million people in 1997.
What is the lowest urban and rural population projected to 2050 recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 32,004 people in 1000.
How does Lesotho rank for urban and rural population projected to 2050?
Lesotho ranks 119th out of 238 countries with data for 2050.
Is urban and rural population projected to 2050 rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban and rural population projected to 2050. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 133 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban and rural population projected to 2050
Unit
people
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 30,401 data points, 1000–2050
Last refreshed

Number of people living in rural areas, combining UN estimates and projections with modelled historical data.