Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita in Lesotho

Lesotho: Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita 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 areas vs. GDP per capita in Lesotho, 1950–2025

010203040195019872025

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

Analysis

In 2025, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Lesotho stood at 44.7%. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.

The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Lesotho peaked at 44.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 172 Zambia 45.9% compare
  2. 173 Seychelles 45.5% compare
  3. 174 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
  4. 176 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
  5. 177 Togo 44.4% compare
  6. 178 Moldova 43.7% compare

See the full ranking of 237 places →

More population data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita in Lesotho?
Share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita 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 areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 1950.
How does Lesotho rank for share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita?
Lesotho ranks 175th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urban areas vs. gdp per capita 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 areas vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas vs. GDP per capita
Unit
%
Source
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
237 places, 18,012 data points, 1950–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.