Urban population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Urban population was 1.06 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1.06 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 47.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Lesotho peaked at 1.06 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 26,944, in 1960.
Lesotho ranks 150th of 215 countries on this measure, 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 | 54,233 | 26,944 | 85,296 | 10 |
| 1970s | 127,982 | 94,013 | 153,443 | 10 |
| 1980s | 182,930 | 158,060 | 218,121 | 10 |
| 1990s | 309,057 | 233,134 | 376,044 | 10 |
| 2000s | 442,581 | 387,304 | 520,162 | 10 |
| 2010s | 698,809 | 546,982 | 852,921 | 10 |
| 2020s | 970,212 | 886,084 | 1.06 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 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 urban population in Lesotho?
- Urban population in Lesotho was 1.06 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 26,944 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for urban population?
- Lesotho ranks 150th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 47.1%. 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.