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Demographic features of the population of Lesotho include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects.
| Demographics of Lesotho | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Lesotho in 2020 | |
| Population | 2,193,970 (2022 est.) |
| Growth rate | 0.76% (2022 est.) |
| Birth rate | 23.15 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 11.05 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 59.57 years |
| • male | 57.57 years |
| • female | 61.64 years |
| Fertility rate | 2.92 children born/woman (2022 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | 48.44 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | -4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 31.3% |
| 65 and over | 5.6% |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.01 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.48 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Basotho |
| Major ethnic | Sotho (99.7%) |
| Language | |
| Official | Sesotho, English |
The Demographics of Lesotho describe the condition and overview of Lesotho's people, residents of which are called Basotho in the plural and Mosotho in the singular. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations.
According to the 2016 census, Lesotho has a total population of 2,007,201.[1] Of the population, 34.17 percent lived in urban and 65.83 percent in rural areas.[1] The country's capital, Maseru, accounts for around half of the total urban population. The sex distribution is 982,133 male and 1,025,068 female, or around 96 males for each 100 females.[1]
The average population density in the country is around 66,1 people per square kilometer. The density is lower in the Lesotho Highlands than in the western lowlands. Although the majority of the population—56.1 percent—is between 15 and 64 years of age, Lesotho has a substantial youth population numbering around 37.8 percent.[2] The annual population growth rate is estimated at 0.13%[2]
According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects[3][4] the total population was 2,281,454 in 2021, compared to only 734 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 37.4%, 58.3% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.3% was 65 years or older .[5]
| Total population | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 734 000 | 40.7 | 54.9 | 4.5 |
| 1955 | 788 000 | 41.9 | 53.7 | 4.4 |
| 1960 | 852 000 | 43.1 | 52.7 | 4.3 |
| 1965 | 934 000 | 43.6 | 52.2 | 4.2 |
| 1970 | 1 033 000 | 44.1 | 51.8 | 4.2 |
| 1975 | 1 150 000 | 44.5 | 51.3 | 4.2 |
| 1980 | 1 310 000 | 44.3 | 51.6 | 4.1 |
| 1985 | 1 487 000 | 44.3 | 51.6 | 4.1 |
| 1990 | 1 639 000 | 44.1 | 51.7 | 4.2 |
| 1995 | 1 795 000 | 43.1 | 52.5 | 4.4 |
| 2000 | 1 964 000 | 41.2 | 54.3 | 4.5 |
| 2005 | 2 066 000 | 39.6 | 56.0 | 4.4 |
| 2010 | 2 171 000 | 37.4 | 58.3 | 4.3 |
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 982 133 | 1 025 068 | 2 007 201 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 100 793 | 99 362 | 200 155 | 9.97 |
| 5–9 | 109 953 | 111 523 | 221 476 | 11.03 |
| 10–14 | 107 879 | 107 934 | 215 813 | 10.75 |
| 15–19 | 106 214 | 103 652 | 209 866 | 10.46 |
| 20–24 | 98 827 | 100 440 | 199 267 | 9.93 |
| 25–29 | 95 802 | 93 141 | 188 943 | 9.41 |
| 30–34 | 86 956 | 81 189 | 168 145 | 8.38 |
| 35–39 | 68 246 | 62 135 | 130 381 | 6.50 |
| 40–44 | 48 665 | 47 630 | 96 295 | 4.80 |
| 45–49 | 36 425 | 38 462 | 74 887 | 3.73 |
| 50–54 | 31 785 | 38 574 | 70 359 | 3.51 |
| 55–59 | 25 759 | 34 058 | 59 817 | 2.98 |
| 60–64 | 20 770 | 28 451 | 49 221 | 2.45 |
| 65-69 | 15 311 | 22 047 | 37 358 | 1.86 |
| 70-74 | 12 017 | 18 791 | 30 808 | 1.53 |
| 75-79 | 8 467 | 15 707 | 24 174 | 1.20 |
| 80-84 | 5 424 | 13 197 | 18 621 | 0.93 |
| 85-89 | 1 873 | 5 201 | 7 074 | 0.35 |
| 90-94 | 662 | 2 127 | 2 789 | 0.14 |
| 95+ | 305 | 1 447 | 1 752 | 0.09 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 318 625 | 318 819 | 637 444 | 31.76 |
| 15–64 | 619 449 | 627 732 | 1 247 181 | 62.14 |
| 65+ | 44 059 | 78 517 | 122 576 | 6.11 |
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1 019 453 | 1 057 858 | 2 077 311 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 100 104 | 98 343 | 198 446 | 9.55 |
| 5–9 | 111 585 | 114 805 | 226 390 | 10.90 |
| 10–14 | 106 278 | 106 664 | 212 942 | 10.25 |
| 15–19 | 100 311 | 96 522 | 196 832 | 9.48 |
| 20–24 | 95 959 | 96 699 | 192 658 | 9.27 |
| 25–29 | 102 411 | 98 595 | 201 006 | 9.68 |
| 30–34 | 101 352 | 92 981 | 194 333 | 9.36 |
| 35–39 | 80 459 | 69 851 | 150 310 | 7.24 |
| 40–44 | 53 415 | 49 648 | 103 063 | 4.96 |
| 45–49 | 37 537 | 38 314 | 75 852 | 3.65 |
| 50–54 | 33 352 | 40 804 | 74 155 | 3.57 |
| 55–59 | 27 071 | 37 915 | 64 986 | 3.13 |
| 60–64 | 22 945 | 32 509 | 55 454 | 2.67 |
| 65-69 | 16 336 | 23 852 | 40 187 | 1.93 |
| 70+ | 30 340 | 60 356 | 90 696 | 4.37 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 317 967 | 319 812 | 637 779 | 30.70 |
| 15–64 | 654 810 | 653 838 | 1 308 648 | 63.00 |
| 65+ | 46 676 | 84 208 | 130 884 | 6.30 |
Registration of vital events is in Lesotho not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [5]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | TFR* | IMR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 32 000 | 17 000 | 15 000 | 42.1 | 22.7 | 19.4 | 5.84 | 169 |
| 1955–1960 | 35 000 | 17 000 | 18 000 | 42.2 | 20.3 | 21.9 | 5.86 | 150 |
| 1960–1965 | 38 000 | 16 000 | 21 000 | 42.3 | 18.3 | 24.0 | 5.81 | 134 |
| 1965–1970 | 42 000 | 17 000 | 24 000 | 42.5 | 17.8 | 24.8 | 5.80 | 130 |
| 1970–1975 | 47 000 | 18 000 | 28 000 | 42.8 | 16.9 | 26.0 | 5.80 | 123 |
| 1975–1980 | 52 000 | 19 000 | 33 000 | 42.0 | 15.1 | 27.0 | 5.69 | 110 |
| 1980–1985 | 56 000 | 18 000 | 38 000 | 40.4 | 13.0 | 27.4 | 5.46 | 94 |
| 1985–1990 | 59 000 | 18 000 | 41 000 | 37.6 | 11.6 | 26.0 | 5.14 | 84 |
| 1990–1995 | 60 000 | 17 000 | 42 000 | 34.7 | 10.0 | 24.7 | 4.70 | 70 |
| 1995–2000 | 63 000 | 25 000 | 38 000 | 33.7 | 13.5 | 20.2 | 4.37 | 81 |
| 2000–2005 | 62 000 | 36 000 | 26 000 | 30.7 | 17.9 | 12.8 | 3.79 | 86 |
| 2005–2010 | 60 000 | 35 000 | 25 000 | 28.5 | 16.7 | 11.9 | 3.37 | 77 |
| * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | ||||||||
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[8]
| Year | Total | Urban | Rural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBR | TFR | WFR | CBR | TFR | WFR | CBR | TFR | WFR | |
| 2004 | 25.3 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 19.3 | 1.9 | 1.4 | 26.7 | 4.1 | 2.9 |
| 2009 | 26.4 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 24.5 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 27.1 | 4.0 | 2.8 |
| 2014 | 24.3 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 23.3 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 24.7 | 3.9 | 2.7 |
| 2023-24 | 18.6 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 19.0 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 18.4 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| District | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butha-Buthe | 3.7 | 4.7 | 3.9 |
| Leribe | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Berea | 3.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Maseru | 2.6 | 4.4 | 3.5 |
| Mafeteng | 2.8 | 6.1 | 3.5 |
| Mohale's Hoek | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Quthing | 3.9 | 3.3 | 4.1 |
| Qacha's Nek | 2.9 | 5.0 | 3.8 |
| Mokhotlong | 4.4 | 5.2 | 4.9 |
| Thaba-Tseka | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
Life expectancy from 1950 to 2015 (UN World Population Prospects):[10]
| Period | Life expectancy in Years |
|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 42.15 |
| 1955–1960 |  45.08 |
| 1960–1965 | 47.80 |
| 1965–1970 | 48.52 |
| 1970–1975 | 49.80 |
| 1975–1980 | 52.24 |
| 1980–1985 | 55.28 |
| 1985–1990 | 57.33 |
| 1990–1995 | 59.70 |
| 1995–2000 |  52.74 |
| 2000–2005 | 45.62 |
| 2005–2010 | 49.04 |
| 2010–2015 | 52.51 |
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022.[11]
The following demographic are from the CIA World Factbook[12] unless otherwise indicated.
6,600 people living in Lesotho are from Asia or Europe. They represent 0.3% of the total population of Lesotho. The 5,000 Chinese people form the largest non-African ethnic group in Lesotho.[13]
Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
| Ethnic groups in Lesotho[14] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnic groups | ||||
| Sotho | 99.7% | |||
| Europeans, South Asians and Other | 0.3% | |||
Due to Lesotho's long history as a unified nation, that continued even through British colonial rule, the ethnic makeup of the country is very homogenous. Lesotho's ethno-linguistic structure consists almost entirely of the Basotho (singular Mosotho), a Bantu-speaking people: an estimate of 99.7 percent of the people identify as Basotho.[2] The Kwena (Bakoena) are the largest subgroup of the Sotho; other Basotho subgroups include the Natal (North) Nguni, Batloung (the Tlou), Baphuthi (the Phuti), Bafokeng, Bataung (the Tau), Bats'oeneng (the tso'ene) and the Cape (South) Nguni (Thembu). Other ethnic groups in Lesotho include South Asians (Indian, Pakistani), numbering more than 4,000 and a few hundread Europeans.[15]
Sesotho (Southern Sotho) and English languages are both official.[2] Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and French are also spoken.
The population of Lesotho is estimated to be around 90 percent Christian.[16] Roman Catholics, the largest religious group, make up around 45 percent of the population.[16] Evangelicals comprise 26 percent of the population, and Anglican and other Christian groups an additional 19 percent.[16] Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Baháʼí, and members of traditional indigenous religions comprise the remaining 10 percent of the population.[16]
According to recent estimates, 85 percent of the population 15 and over was literate. Among women the literacy rate was around 95 percent, and among men around 75 percent.[2] As such, Lesotho boasts one of the higher literacy rates in Africa. Although education is not compulsory, the Government of Lesotho is incrementally implementing a programme for free primary education. It was expected that the program would be fully in place by 2006. The National University of Lesotho located in Roma and the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology located in the heart of Maseru, Moshoeshoe 2 are the only universities in the country.[17] In addition, the country has almost 20 other public and 15 private institutes giving tertiary education.[17]
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