Skip to content

Fertility & birth rates in Lesotho and Panama

Updated on by Georank team

Lesotho has an annual birth rate of 24.1 births per 1,000 people, compared to 16 for Panama. The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — the fertility rate, is 2.69 in Lesotho and 2.12 in Panama — 21.3% difference.

1960 vs 2023, the fertility rate has decreased by -53.4% in Lesotho and by -63.6% in Panama — in 1960, it was 5.78 and 5.83, respectively.

Birth rates facts compared:

  • Lesotho is ranked 56/196 by birth rate compared to 95/196 for Panama.
  • The mean age at childbearing (for all the births, not just the first) is 27.9 in Lesotho — it's 27.4 in Panama.
  • Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (adolescent birth rate or teenage mother rate) is 70.6 in Lesotho vs 57.3 in Panama.
  • In Lesotho, 27.8% of the population is composed of women of reproductive age (15-49), compared to 25.2% in Panama.
  • Excluding migration, the natural population change due to births and deaths from 2022 to 2023 was +1.35% in Lesotho and +1.13% in Panama.

Birth rate data compared

Lesotho Panama
Fertility rate 2.69 2.12
Birth rate 24.1 16
Birth rate rank 56/196 95/196
Age at first childbirth 20.9 years n/a
Average age at childbearing 27.9 years 27.4 years
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 69.1 54.2
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 20-29 134.4 109
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 30+ 38.1 19.4
Female of reproductive age (15-49), share of population 27.8% 25.2%
Any modern method of contraceptive prevalence among married women ages 15-49 65.3% 46.9%
Share of births attended by skilled health staff 86.6% 95%
Maternal mortality per live birth 0.48% 0.04%
Neonatal mortality rate (before reaching 28 days of age) 2.87% 0.66%
Infant mortality rate (before reaching 1 year of age) 5.54% 1.06%
Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births 5.89% 1.33%
Population change due to births and deaths +31,115 +50,197
Natural population change rank 103/196 94/196
Natural population change rate +1.35% +1.13%
Population growth +1.12% +1.27%
Population growth rank 96/197 85/197
Life expectancy 58.2 years 80 years

Fertility rate in Lesotho vs Panama chart

According to the latest available data on birth rates, the fertility rate in Lesotho was 2.69 children per woman in 2023, compared to 2.12 in Panama in 2023. The replacement level is considered to be 2.1 children per woman.

Check Lesotho vs Panama population clock for a dynamic visualization of the changing population.

The chart below showcases historical changes in the birth rates.

Lesotho
Factual

UN forecast
Panama
Factual

UN forecast

Births per woman

Year Fertility rate
Lesotho Panama
1960 5.78 5.83
1961 5.79 5.87
1962 5.79 5.87
1963 5.78 5.87
1964 5.77 5.81
1965 5.77 5.73
1966 5.76 5.65
1967 5.75 5.53
1968 5.73 5.41
1969 5.7 5.29
1970 5.7 5.18
1971 5.7 5.05
1972 5.69 4.91
1973 5.69 4.74
1974 5.75 4.58
1975 5.83 4.41
1976 5.87 4.26
1977 5.85 4.12
1978 5.82 3.98
1979 5.79 3.88
1980 5.75 3.8
1981 5.69 3.72
1982 5.63 3.66
1983 5.56 3.6
1984 5.48 3.52
1985 5.4 3.43
1986 5.32 3.34
1987 5.22 3.25
1988 5.1 3.17
1989 4.96 3.12
1990 4.81 3.07
1991 4.68 3
1992 4.54 2.95
1993 4.37 2.91
1994 4.21 2.88
1995 4.13 2.85
1996 4.06 2.83
1997 3.98 2.81
1998 3.82 2.79
1999 3.67 2.77
2000 3.61 2.74
2001 3.63 2.72
2002 3.68 2.7
2003 3.62 2.68
2004 3.51 2.68
2005 3.43 2.64
2006 3.41 2.62
2007 3.44 2.61
2008 3.39 2.61
2009 3.31 2.59
2010 3.25 2.59
2011 3.34 2.6
2012 3.3 2.59
2013 3.28 2.57
2014 3.24 2.55
2015 3.22 2.53
2016 3.18 2.5
2017 3.11 2.46
2018 3.02 2.4
2019 2.92 2.29
2020 2.85 2.18
2021 2.77 2.15
2022 2.72 2.14
2023 2.69 2.12
2024 2.66 2.11
2025 2.64 2.09
2026 2.61 2.07
2027 2.58 2.06
2028 2.55 2.04
2029 2.53 2.02
2030 2.5 2.01
2031 2.47 2
2032 2.45 1.99
2033 2.43 1.97
2034 2.41 1.96
2035 2.38 1.95
2036 2.37 1.95
2037 2.34 1.94
2038 2.32 1.93
2039 2.3 1.92
2040 2.29 1.91
2041 2.27 1.91
2042 2.25 1.9
2043 2.24 1.89
2044 2.22 1.89
2045 2.21 1.88
2046 2.19 1.88
2047 2.18 1.87
2048 2.17 1.87
2049 2.16 1.86
2050 2.14 1.86

Children 0-14 years as share of population

Lesotho
Factual

UN forecast
Panama
Factual

UN forecast
Year Share of people 0-14 years old
Lesotho Panama
1960 45.1% 44.2%
1961 45.2% 44.3%
1962 45.3% 44.5%
1963 45.2% 44.6%
1964 44.9% 44.7%
1965 44.8% 44.8%
1966 44.9% 44.8%
1967 44.8% 44.8%
1968 44.4% 44.7%
1969 44% 44.6%
1970 43.6% 44.5%
1971 43.1% 44.3%
1972 42.7% 44.1%
1973 42.3% 43.9%
1974 41.9% 43.6%
1975 41.6% 43.3%
1976 41.4% 42.9%
1977 41.5% 42.4%
1978 41.7% 41.9%
1979 41.9% 41.4%
1980 42.1% 40.8%
1981 42.3% 40.3%
1982 42.5% 39.8%
1983 42.7% 39.3%
1984 42.8% 38.8%
1985 43% 38.3%
1986 42.7% 37.8%
1987 42.5% 37.4%
1988 42.7% 36.9%
1989 42.8% 36.5%
1990 42.9% 36.1%
1991 42.9% 35.7%
1992 42.8% 35.3%
1993 42.6% 34.9%
1994 42.3% 34.6%
1995 42% 34.2%
1996 41.7% 33.9%
1997 41.2% 33.5%
1998 40.7% 33.1%
1999 40.2% 32.8%
2000 39.6% 32.4%
2001 39.1% 32%
2002 38.6% 31.6%
2003 38.1% 31.3%
2004 37.7% 31%
2005 37.4% 30.6%
2006 37.1% 30.3%
2007 36.8% 30%
2008 36.7% 29.7%
2009 36.6% 29.5%
2010 36.5% 29.2%
2011 36.5% 28.9%
2012 36.5% 28.7%
2013 36.5% 28.4%
2014 36.6% 28.2%
2015 36.6% 27.9%
2016 36.6% 27.6%
2017 36.5% 27.4%
2018 36.3% 27.1%
2019 36.1% 26.7%
2020 35.8% 26.4%
2021 35.6% 26%
2022 35.3% 25.7%
2023 34.9% 25.3%
2024 34.5% 24.9%
2025 34.1% 24.5%
2026 33.6% 24.1%
2027 33.1% 23.8%
2028 32.6% 23.4%
2029 32% 23%
2030 31.5% 22.6%
2031 31% 22.2%
2032 30.5% 21.9%
2033 30.1% 21.6%
2034 29.7% 21.3%
2035 29.3% 21%
2036 29% 20.9%
2037 28.8% 20.7%
2038 28.5% 20.5%
2039 28.3% 20.3%
2040 28.1% 20.1%
2041 27.8% 20%
2042 27.6% 19.8%
2043 27.4% 19.6%
2044 27.1% 19.4%
2045 26.9% 19.3%
2046 26.7% 19.1%
2047 26.4% 18.9%
2048 26.2% 18.8%
2049 25.9% 18.6%
2050 25.7% 18.4%

Children aged 0-14 make up 34.5% of the population in Lesotho and 24.9% in Panama in 2024, compared to 42.9% and 36.1% respectively in 1990.

Demographics of Lesotho and Panama compared.

Natural population change in Lesotho vs Panama by year

For the past 10 years, the annual natural population change (excluding migration) has been +1.44% in Lesotho and +1.31% in Panama. The chart below illustrates the comparison of the absolute yearly changes resulting from births and deaths.

Lesotho
Panama

Natural population change

Year Population change due to births and deaths
Lesotho Panama
1960 19,981 35,431
1961 20,581 37,100
1962 21,132 38,537
1963 21,585 39,872
1964 22,116 40,806
1965 22,755 41,604
1966 23,326 42,457
1967 23,911 43,054
1968 24,490 43,641
1969 25,137 44,278
1970 25,935 45,075
1971 26,838 45,867
1972 27,841 46,311
1973 28,859 46,540
1974 30,444 46,932
1975 32,311 47,149
1976 34,117 47,307
1977 35,654 47,438
1978 37,084 47,694
1979 38,440 48,362
1980 39,617 49,077
1981 40,808 50,018
1982 41,941 50,858
1983 42,899 51,880
1984 43,785 52,436
1985 44,575 52,573
1986 45,232 52,681
1987 47,718 52,690
1988 47,158 52,767
1989 46,264 52,295
1990 45,060 53,451
1991 44,026 53,079
1992 42,579 53,186
1993 40,505 53,591
1994 38,629 53,845
1995 37,370 54,069
1996 36,228 54,512
1997 34,637 55,060
1998 30,889 55,482
1999 27,393 55,911
2000 24,786 56,236
2001 23,190 56,654
2002 22,274 57,011
2003 20,133 57,458
2004 17,271 58,281
2005 15,831 58,014
2006 15,234 58,067
2007 17,763 58,454
2008 19,349 58,961
2009 20,335 59,168
2010 21,877 59,418
2011 25,647 60,411
2012 27,592 60,471
2013 29,789 60,295
2014 30,922 60,227
2015 32,087 59,896
2016 33,390 59,454
2017 33,601 58,607
2018 33,112 57,508
2019 32,279 54,420
2020 30,721 46,599
2021 27,806 46,747
2022 30,803 50,556
2023 31,115 50,197

Fertility rates around the globe

Fertility rate

Maternal mortality chart: Lesotho vs Panama

The maternal mortality rate, which is the probability of dying during childbirth or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, is 478 deaths per 100,000 live births in Lesotho, compared to 37 deaths in Panama.

Lesotho
Panama
Year Maternal mortality per 100K births
Lesotho Panama
1985 711 95
1986 680 94
1987 686 93
1988 680 93
1989 680 96
1990 665 89
1991 641 87
1992 601 85
1993 542 81
1994 423 78
1995 357 77
1996 319 73
1997 312 70
1998 332 68
1999 371 65
2000 413 64
2001 465 62
2002 484 59
2003 508 58
2004 499 57
2005 549 57
2006 696 56
2007 891 55
2008 1,205 55
2009 1,387 55
2010 1,311 56
2011 1,210 55
2012 1,000 53
2013 855 52
2014 707 49
2015 594 48
2016 518 47
2017 468 47
2018 491 43
2019 467 41
2020 529 74
2021 577 59
2022 477 40
2023 478 37

Under-five mortality rates

The chance that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five is 5.89% in Lesotho and 1.33% in Panama. Below is the historical data on under-five mortality rates.

Lesotho
Panama

Probability that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five

Year Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births
Lesotho Panama
1960 18.6% 9.31%
1961 18.5% 9.04%
1962 18.5% 8.78%
1963 18.6% 8.52%
1964 18.6% 8.28%
1965 18.7% 8.05%
1966 18.6% 7.83%
1967 18.5% 7.62%
1968 18.3% 7.38%
1969 18% 7.1%
1970 17.7% 6.78%
1971 17.3% 6.43%
1972 16.9% 6.07%
1973 16.5% 5.72%
1974 16% 5.41%
1975 15.5% 5.15%
1976 14.9% 4.93%
1977 14.2% 4.76%
1978 13.6% 4.61%
1979 12.9% 4.47%
1980 12.3% 4.34%
1981 11.7% 4.19%
1982 11.1% 4.05%
1983 10.6% 3.9%
1984 10.1% 3.75%
1985 9.72% 3.61%
1986 9.36% 3.47%
1987 9.06% 3.35%
1988 8.8% 3.24%
1989 8.6% 3.14%
1990 8.47% 3.05%
1991 8.43% 2.97%
1992 8.51% 2.91%
1993 8.73% 2.87%
1994 9.07% 2.83%
1995 9.45% 2.8%
1996 9.83% 2.77%
1997 10.2% 2.73%
1998 10.5% 2.68%
1999 10.7% 2.63%
2000 10.9% 2.56%
2001 11.1% 2.49%
2002 11.2% 2.41%
2003 11.4% 2.33%
2004 11.5% 2.25%
2005 11.6% 2.17%
2006 11.5% 2.1%
2007 11.2% 2.03%
2008 10.9% 1.97%
2009 9.64% 1.91%
2010 9.01% 1.86%
2011 8.59% 1.81%
2012 8.26% 1.77%
2013 8.02% 1.75%
2014 7.82% 1.73%
2015 7.51% 1.72%
2016 7.18% 1.7%
2017 7.12% 1.68%
2018 6.91% 1.65%
2019 6.87% 1.59%
2020 6.68% 1.52%
2021 6.44% 1.45%
2022 6.15% 1.39%
2023 5.89% 1.33%

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Birth rate comparisons

Birth rate vs Lesotho vs Panama
Afghanistan Compare Compare
Albania Compare Compare
Algeria Compare Compare
Andorra Compare Compare
Angola Compare Compare
Antigua Compare Compare
Argentina Compare Compare
Armenia Compare Compare
Australia Compare Compare
Austria Compare Compare
Azerbaijan Compare Compare
Bahamas Compare Compare
Bahrain Compare Compare
Bangladesh Compare Compare
Barbados Compare Compare
Belarus Compare Compare
Belgium Compare Compare
Belize Compare Compare
Benin Compare Compare
Bhutan Compare Compare
Bolivia Compare Compare
Bosnia Compare Compare
Botswana Compare Compare
Brazil Compare Compare
Brunei Compare Compare
Bulgaria Compare Compare
Burkina Faso Compare Compare
Burundi Compare Compare
Cambodia Compare Compare
Cameroon Compare Compare
Canada Compare Compare
Cape Verde Compare Compare
Cayman Islands Compare Compare
CAR Compare Compare
Chad Compare Compare
Chile Compare Compare
China Compare Compare
Colombia Compare Compare
Comoros Compare Compare
Congo Compare Compare
Costa Rica Compare Compare
Croatia Compare Compare
Cuba Compare Compare
Curacao Compare Compare
Cyprus Compare Compare
Czech Republic Compare Compare
DR Congo Compare Compare
Denmark Compare Compare
Djibouti Compare Compare
Dominica Compare Compare
Dominican Republic Compare Compare
East Timor Compare Compare
Ecuador Compare Compare
Egypt Compare Compare
El Salvador Compare Compare
Equatorial Guinea Compare Compare
Eritrea Compare Compare
Estonia Compare Compare
Eswatini Compare Compare
Ethiopia Compare Compare
Fiji Compare Compare
Finland Compare Compare
France Compare Compare
Gabon Compare Compare
Gambia Compare Compare
Georgia Compare Compare
Germany Compare Compare
Ghana Compare Compare
Greece Compare Compare
Grenada Compare Compare
Guatemala Compare Compare
Guinea Compare Compare
Guinea-Bissau Compare Compare
Guyana Compare Compare
Haiti Compare Compare
Honduras Compare Compare
Hungary Compare Compare
Iceland Compare Compare
India Compare Compare
Indonesia Compare Compare
Iran Compare Compare
Iraq Compare Compare
Ireland Compare Compare
Israel Compare Compare
Italy Compare Compare
Ivory Coast Compare Compare
Jamaica Compare Compare
Japan Compare Compare
Jordan Compare Compare
Kazakhstan Compare Compare
Kenya Compare Compare
Kiribati Compare Compare
Kuwait Compare Compare
Kyrgyzstan Compare Compare
Laos Compare Compare
Latvia Compare Compare
Lebanon Compare Compare
Liberia Compare Compare
Libya Compare Compare
Liechtenstein Compare Compare
Lithuania Compare Compare
Luxembourg Compare Compare
Madagascar Compare Compare
Malawi Compare Compare
Malaysia Compare Compare
Maldives Compare Compare
Mali Compare Compare
Malta Compare Compare
Marshall Islands Compare Compare
Mauritania Compare Compare
Mauritius Compare Compare
Mexico Compare Compare
Moldova Compare Compare
Monaco Compare Compare
Mongolia Compare Compare
Montenegro Compare Compare
Morocco Compare Compare
Mozambique Compare Compare
Myanmar Compare Compare
Namibia Compare Compare
Nauru Compare Compare
Nepal Compare Compare
Netherlands Compare Compare
New Zealand Compare Compare
Nicaragua Compare Compare
Niger Compare Compare
Nigeria Compare Compare
North Korea Compare Compare
North Macedonia Compare Compare
Norway Compare Compare
Oman Compare Compare
Pakistan Compare Compare
Palau Compare Compare
Palestine Compare Compare
Papua New Guinea Compare Compare
Paraguay Compare Compare
Peru Compare Compare
Philippines Compare Compare
Poland Compare Compare
Portugal Compare Compare
Qatar Compare Compare
Romania Compare Compare
Russia Compare Compare
Rwanda Compare Compare
Saint Kitts Compare Compare
Saint Lucia Compare Compare
Saint Vincent Compare Compare
Samoa Compare Compare
San Marino Compare Compare
Sao Tome Compare Compare
Saudi Arabia Compare Compare
Senegal Compare Compare
Serbia Compare Compare
Seychelles Compare Compare
Sierra Leone Compare Compare
Singapore Compare Compare
Slovakia Compare Compare
Slovenia Compare Compare
Solomon Islands Compare Compare
Somalia Compare Compare
South Africa Compare Compare
South Korea Compare Compare
South Sudan Compare Compare
Spain Compare Compare
Sri Lanka Compare Compare
Sudan Compare Compare
Suriname Compare Compare
Sweden Compare Compare
Switzerland Compare Compare
Syria Compare Compare
Taiwan Compare Compare
Tajikistan Compare Compare
Tanzania Compare Compare
Thailand Compare Compare
Togo Compare Compare
Tonga Compare Compare
Trinidad Compare Compare
Tunisia Compare Compare
Turkey Compare Compare
Turkmenistan Compare Compare
Tuvalu Compare Compare
Uganda Compare Compare
Ukraine Compare Compare
UAE Compare Compare
United Kingdom Compare Compare
United States Compare Compare
Uruguay Compare Compare
Uzbekistan Compare Compare
Vanuatu Compare Compare
Venezuela Compare Compare
Vietnam Compare Compare
Yemen Compare Compare
Zambia Compare Compare
Zimbabwe Compare Compare