Lesotho Population (1960-2026) & Projected growth

The current population of Lesotho is 2,396,633 people, as of 2026 based on the adjusted UN estimation. The latest officially reported number was 2,337,423 in 2024.

Lesotho is projected to reach 3.33M people in 2083.
Since 2006, population has increased from 1.95M people to 2.4M (23.2% growth in 20 years).
Lesotho is ranked 143/197 by population and was ranked 144th in 2006.
Lesotho accounts for 0.03% of the world's population.
For the last 20 years, Lesotho has had an average growth rate of 1.16% per year.

Lesotho population and growth rate by year

1x

Year	Population	Growth rate
2100	3,280,784	-0.18%
2099	3,286,697	-0.18%
2098	3,292,498	-0.17%
2097	3,298,102	-0.15%
2096	3,303,027	-0.15%
2095	3,307,947	-0.12%
2094	3,312,002	-0.11%
2093	3,315,757	-0.12%
2092	3,319,661	-0.09%
2091	3,322,573	-0.07%
2090	3,324,769	-0.06%
2089	3,326,847	-0.05%
2088	3,328,480	-0.04%
2087	3,329,964	-0.01%
2086	3,330,456	-0.02%
2085	3,331,259	-0.007%
2084	3,331,485	-0%
2083	3,331,492	0.008%
2082	3,331,234	0.02%
2081	3,330,412	0.03%
2080	3,329,267	0.06%
2079	3,327,166	0.08%
2078	3,324,646	0.1%
2077	3,321,422	0.11%
2076	3,317,850	0.11%
2075	3,314,237	0.15%
2074	3,309,174	0.16%
2073	3,303,860	0.17%
2072	3,298,181	0.2%
2071	3,291,492	0.24%
2070	3,283,654	0.26%
2069	3,275,244	0.28%
2068	3,266,152	0.29%
2067	3,256,626	0.3%
2066	3,246,903	0.3%
2065	3,237,153	0.33%
2064	3,226,489	0.35%
2063	3,215,103	0.4%
2062	3,202,287	0.42%
2061	3,188,933	0.44%
2060	3,174,998	0.47%
2059	3,160,204	0.48%
2058	3,145,053	0.5%
2057	3,129,261	0.52%
2056	3,113,129	0.56%
2055	3,095,904	0.56%
2054	3,078,567	0.6%
2053	3,060,152	0.64%
2052	3,040,649	0.68%
2051	3,020,109	0.69%
2050	2,999,457	0.72%
2049	2,978,037	0.75%
2048	2,955,727	0.79%
2047	2,932,688	0.8%
2046	2,909,307	0.82%
2045	2,885,537	0.84%
2044	2,861,372	0.87%
2043	2,836,777	0.89%
2042	2,811,663	0.92%
2041	2,786,147	0.93%
2040	2,760,391	0.95%
2039	2,734,400	0.97%
2038	2,708,216	0.98%
2037	2,681,863	1.02%
2036	2,654,755	1.03%
2035	2,627,701	1.03%
2034	2,600,880	1.04%
2033	2,574,065	1.05%
2032	2,547,344	1.05%
2031	2,520,831	1.05%
2030	2,494,646	1.07%
2029	2,468,268	1.08%
2028	2,441,871	1.08%
2027	2,415,830	1.1%
2026	2,389,516	1.1%
2025	2,363,516	1.12%
2024	2,337,423	1.12%
2023	2,311,472	1.11%
2022	2,286,110	1.09%
2021	2,261,542	1.15%
2020	2,235,727	1.19%
2019	2,209,405	1.18%
2018	2,183,603	1.23%
2017	2,157,110	1.25%
2016	2,130,422	1.23%
2015	2,104,611	1.18%
2014	2,080,089	1.15%
2013	2,056,504	1.09%
2012	2,034,354	1.01%
2011	2,014,009	0.89%
2010	1,996,251	0.78%
2009	1,980,883	0.73%
2008	1,966,541	0.68%
2007	1,953,268	0.42%
2006	1,945,063	-0.41%
2005	1,953,076	-0.92%
2004	1,971,129	-0.7%
2003	1,985,059	-0.48%
2002	1,994,679	-0.31%
2001	2,000,853	-0.15%
2000	2,003,913	0.03%
1999	2,003,234	0.26%
1998	1,998,049	0.5%
1997	1,988,130	0.8%
1996	1,972,418	1.08%
1995	1,951,437	1.23%
1994	1,927,707	1.36%
1993	1,901,793	1.52%
1992	1,873,274	1.68%
1991	1,842,379	1.81%
1990	1,809,696	1.93%
1989	1,775,436	2.05%
1988	1,739,841	2.14%
1987	1,703,390	2.24%
1986	1,666,138	2.57%
1985	1,624,379	2.87%
1984	1,578,986	2.9%
1983	1,534,413	2.93%
1982	1,490,732	2.95%
1981	1,448,069	2.95%
1980	1,406,521	2.95%
1979	1,366,169	2.93%
1978	1,327,240	2.89%
1977	1,289,967	2.93%
1976	1,253,214	3.26%
1975	1,213,643	3.52%
1974	1,172,420	3.51%
1973	1,132,697	3.53%
1972	1,094,063	3.58%
1971	1,056,246	3.63%
1970	1,019,273	3.67%
1969	983,202	3.7%
1968	948,105	3.73%
1967	913,982	3.64%
1966	881,870	3.25%
1965	854,090	2.97%
1964	829,437	2.99%
1963	805,373	3.01%
1962	781,814	3.03%
1961	758,824	3.03%
1960	736,500	-

Data sources: United Nations | World Population Prospects (2025–2100, retrieved 2026-03-10); World Bank | Health (1960–2024, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/population/lesotho | CC BY

Lesotho has a population of 2.4M as of 2026, compared to 2.13M in 2016, 1.95M in 2006, and 1.97M in 1996.

Over the past 10 years, the population has had a trend to increase by an average of 1.25% per year. Lesotho is ranked 99th out of 197 countries by a 10-year average growth rate.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 20 years (in 2046) Lesotho will have 2,909,307 people (21.4% growth) with a rank change from 143rd to 141st.

By the year 2100, Lesotho's population is projected to grow by 36.9% from its current level to 3.28M people.

Natural change and net migration by year

1x

Year	Population change
Year	Total	Natural	Net migration
2025	-	-	-5,192
2024	-	-	-5,107
2023	25,947	31,115	-5,168
2022	24,780	30,803	-6,023
2021	24,357	27,806	-3,449
2020	27,272	30,721	-3,449
2019	25,383	32,279	-6,896
2018	26,220	33,112	-6,892
2017	26,751	33,601	-6,850
2016	26,624	33,390	-6,766
2015	25,000	32,087	-7,087
2014	24,045	30,922	-6,877
2013	23,130	29,789	-6,659
2012	21,167	27,592	-6,425
2011	19,529	25,647	-6,118
2010	15,991	21,877	-5,886
2009	14,736	20,335	-5,599
2008	13,957	19,349	-5,392
2007	12,584	17,763	-5,179
2006	3,818	15,234	-11,416
2005	-19,848	15,831	-35,679
2004	-16,259	17,271	-33,530
2003	-11,590	20,133	-31,723
2002	-7,650	22,274	-29,924
2001	-4,684	23,190	-27,874
2000	-1,434	24,786	-26,220
1999	2,783	27,393	-24,610
1998	7,590	30,889	-23,299
1997	12,241	34,637	-22,396
1996	19,186	36,228	-17,042
1995	22,782	37,370	-14,588
1994	24,676	38,629	-13,953
1993	27,158	40,505	-13,347
1992	29,872	42,579	-12,707
1991	31,912	44,026	-12,114
1990	33,462	45,060	-11,598
1989	35,057	46,264	-11,207
1988	36,130	47,158	-11,028
1987	36,772	47,718	-10,946
1986	37,731	45,232	-7,501
1985	45,797	44,575	1,222
1984	44,984	43,785	1,199
1983	44,152	42,899	1,253
1982	43,222	41,941	1,281
1981	42,115	40,808	1,307
1980	40,978	39,617	1,361
1979	39,725	38,440	1,285
1978	38,131	37,084	1,047
1977	36,400	35,654	746
1976	37,103	34,117	2,986
1975	42,034	32,311	9,723
1974	40,416	30,444	9,972
1973	39,042	28,859	10,183
1972	38,227	27,841	10,386
1971	37,401	26,838	10,563
1970	36,540	25,935	10,605
1969	35,602	25,137	10,465
1968	34,598	24,490	10,108
1967	33,645	23,911	9,734
1966	30,574	23,326	7,248
1965	24,994	22,755	2,239
1964	24,314	22,116	2,198
1963	23,805	21,585	2,220
1962	23,304	21,132	2,172
1961	22,681	20,581	2,100
1960	21,970	19,981	1,989

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2025, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/population/lesotho | CC BY

Over the last 10 years, 84.2% of the population change in Lesotho is from natural causes (a gain of 315,836 people) and 15.8% is from migration (a loss of 59,457 people).

As of 2024, 15,039 residents or 0.6% of the population were not native-born in Lesotho, compared to 6,414 and 0.3% in 2010.

Lesotho population clock

	Lesotho	Rank
Current population	2396633	143/197
Percent of world population	0.03%	143/197
One net population change	20.3 minutes	121/197
One birth every	9.43 minutes	129/196
One death every	21.4 minutes	132/196
Daily growth/decline	+71	121/197
Annual growth/decline	+25,951	121/197
Annual growth/decline rate	+1.12%	93/197
One migration net change every	1.69 hours	117/196
Annual migration change	-5,192	117/196
Foreign-born residents	15,039	173/195
Foreign-born share of population	0.6%	170/195

Largest cities by population

Lesotho
City	Population
Maseru	344K
Teyateyaneng	75.1K
Mafeteng	57.1K

Lesotho population statistics

	Lesotho	World
Life expectancy	58.6 years	73.8 years
Average age	25.8 years	33.8 years
Median age	22.7 years	31.6 years
Male:Female ratio	48.7:51.3	50.3:49.7
Fertility rate	2.69 births per woman	2.2 births per woman
Population density	203.8 ppl/mi²	144 ppl/mi²

More about the demographics of Lesotho.

Population map with other countries

1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2024, retrieved 2026-04-06); United Nations | World Population Prospects (1960–2026, retrieved 2026-03-10); U.S. Census Bureau (1960–2025, retrieved 2026-02-08); Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2000–2019, retrieved 2026-02-20).

GeoRank.org/population/lesotho | CC BY