Total Fertility Rate in Lesotho
Lesotho: Total Fertility Rate was 2.98 in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
2.98
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
57th
of 197 countries
All-time high
5.93
in 1976
All-time low
2.98
in 2022
Years of data
63
1960–2022
Total Fertility Rate in Lesotho, 1960–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
In 2022, total fertility rate in Lesotho stood at 2.98. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total fertility rate in Lesotho peaked at 5.93 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.98, in 2022.
That places Lesotho 57th out of 197 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Total Fertility Rate in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.82 | — |
| 1961 | 5.81 | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 5.8 | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 5.8 | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 5.77 | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 5.78 | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 5.77 | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 5.76 | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 5.75 | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 5.74 | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 5.73 | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 5.76 | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 5.76 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 5.77 | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 5.83 | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 5.9 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 5.93 | +0.5% |
| 1977 | 5.9 | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 5.85 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 5.8 | -0.8% |
| 1980 | 5.75 | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 5.68 | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 5.61 | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 5.54 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 5.46 | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 5.37 | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 5.28 | -1.8% |
| 1987 | 5.16 | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 5.05 | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 4.9 | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 4.76 | -3.0% |
| 1991 | 4.64 | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 4.52 | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 4.37 | -3.4% |
| 1994 | 4.22 | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 4.14 | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 4.07 | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 3.99 | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.85 | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 3.74 | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 3.66 | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 3.66 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.68 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 3.63 | -1.1% |
| 2004 | 3.52 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 3.44 | -2.3% |
| 2006 | 3.43 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 3.44 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 3.41 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 3.32 | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 3.25 | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 3.32 | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 3.31 | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 3.33 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 3.29 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 3.26 | -0.7% |
| 2016 | 3.24 | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 3.19 | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 3.14 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 3.09 | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 3.05 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 3.02 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 2.98 | -1.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.98 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.21, 93% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.98 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.17, 71% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.78 | 5.74 | 5.82 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.82 | 5.73 | 5.93 | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.38 | 4.9 | 5.75 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.23 | 3.74 | 4.76 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.52 | 3.32 | 3.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.24 | 3.09 | 3.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.02 | 2.98 | 3.05 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 54 Tajikistan 3.14 compare
- 55 Kazakhstan 3.05 compare
- 56 East Timor 3.05 compare
- 58 Israel 2.89 compare
- 59 Egypt 2.88 compare
- 60 Algeria 2.83 compare
More gender data for Lesotho
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 786.22 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.5717 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 1,708 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 1,708 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.83 % change on previous year (2030)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total fertility rate in Lesotho?
- Total fertility rate in Lesotho was 2.98 in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest total fertility rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.93 in 1976.
- What is the lowest total fertility rate recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.98 in 2022.
- How does Lesotho rank for total fertility rate?
- Lesotho ranks 57th out of 197 countries with data for 2022.
- Is total fertility rate rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Total Fertility Rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.