Population, total in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population, total was 2.36 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population, total in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in Lesotho is 2.36 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Lesotho peaked at 2.36 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 736,500, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 144th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 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 | 2.30 million | 2.24 million | 2.36 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 1.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 44.7% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.0438 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 0.8% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 23.4% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 23.4% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 2.9 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Lesotho?
- Population, total in Lesotho was 2.36 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.36 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 736,500 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for population, total?
- Lesotho ranks 144th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.