Population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population was 2.34 million in 2024. β² Rising
Population in Lesotho, 1960β2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in Lesotho is 2.34 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in Lesotho peaked at 2.34 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 736,500, in 1960.
Lesotho ranks 141st of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 849,320 | 736,500 | 983,202 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.19 million | 1.02 million | 1.37 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.60 million | 1.41 million | 1.78 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.93 million | 1.81 million | 2.00 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.98 million | 1.95 million | 2.00 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.10 million | 2.00 million | 2.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.29 million | 2.24 million | 2.34 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More gender data for Lesotho
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 26,291 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 26,787 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 25,880 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 26,319 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 25,717 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 26,150 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 25,706 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 26,127 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 25,957 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 26,370 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in Lesotho?
- Population in Lesotho was 2.34 million in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.34 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 736,500 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for population?
- Lesotho ranks 141st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Data on Gender-disaggregated on selected population characteristics.