Lesotho Population
Lesotho had an estimated population of 2,363,325 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 144th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.03% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +1.10% a year.
Lesotho at a glance
How Lesotho's population is changing
Lesotho's population is growing: +1.10% a year, which works out to about +26,045 people per year, or +71 a day. Births (23.8 per 1,000) and deaths (10.5 per 1,000) alone would give +1.33% a year; net migration removes about 5,192 people a year (−0.22%). Roughly one in every 3,476 people on Earth lives in Lesotho.
Population of Lesotho since 1960
In 1960, Lesotho had 736,500 people. By 2025 that was 2,363,325 — 3.2× larger. The fastest growth came between 1966 and 1976, when the population rose by 42%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 736,500 | — |
| 1970 | 1,019,273 | +38.4% |
| 1980 | 1,406,521 | +38.0% |
| 1990 | 1,809,696 | +28.7% |
| 2000 | 2,003,913 | +10.7% |
| 2010 | 1,996,251 | −0.4% |
| 2020 | 2,235,727 | +12.0% |
| 2025 | 2,363,325 | +5.7% |
Lesotho from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Lesotho at about 276,361 people in 1800; the UN estimates 2,363,330 in 2025 (9× 1800) and projects 3,259,301 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2083 at 3,313,001 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 276,361 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 180,549 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 249,213 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 579,554 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 2,003,919 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 2,363,330 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 2,993,088 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 3,297,642 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 3,259,301 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Lesotho
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 2,363,325. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maseru | 286,843 | UN urban centre | 12.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Maputsoe | 61,916 | GeoNames settlement | 2.62% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Mohale's Hoek | 46,593 | GeoNames settlement | 1.97% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Mafeteng | 45,287 | GeoNames settlement | 1.92% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Hlotse | 43,967 | GeoNames settlement | 1.86% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Butha-Buthe | 40,599 | GeoNames settlement | 1.72% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Mabote | 38,047 | GeoNames settlement | 1.61% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Quthing | 33,910 | GeoNames settlement | 1.43% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Teyateyaneng | 27,272 | GeoNames settlement | 1.15% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Qacha’s Nek | 25,573 | GeoNames settlement | 1.08% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Lesotho compares
Lesotho has almost the same population as Moldova (2,360,527).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Lesotho | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #142 |  Gabon | 2,593,130 | +10% | compare → |
| #143 |  Botswana | 2,562,122 | +8% | compare → |
| #145 |  Moldova | 2,360,527 | −0% | compare → |
| #146 |  Albania | 2,349,580 | −1% | compare → |
Compare Lesotho with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Lesotho
Land neighbours (1)
South Africa 64,747,319 · 27.4× the population · compare
Lesotho's 1 neighbours together hold 64,747,319 people — 27.4× Lesotho's population. The most populous is South Africa (64,747,319).
In its region
Lesotho is the 40th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 0.2% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Maseru, Maputsoe, Mohale's Hoek, Mafeteng, Hlotse, Butha-Buthe, Mabote, Quthing — all Lesotho's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Lesotho when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.