Urban population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Urban population was 44.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 44.7% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Lesotho peaked at 44.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 161st out of 215 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
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- 158 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 159 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 160 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 162 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
- 163 Togo 44.4% compare
- 164 Moldova 43.7% compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Population growth 1.1% (2025)
- Population, total 2.36 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.3% (2025)
- Urban population 1.06 million (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 urban population in Lesotho?
- Urban population in Lesotho was 44.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for urban population?
- Lesotho ranks 161st out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population 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 World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.