How many people live in Lesotho right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
2,397,551
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Net migration | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 147 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.03%
- Median age
- 22.1 years
- Children per woman
- 2.61
- Life expectancy
- 58.6 years
- People per km²
- 79
According to UN estimates, about 2.4 million people live in Lesotho right now. It ranks 147th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Botswana and Guinea-Bissau, and it is home to 0.029% of the world's population.
Every day, about 150 people are born there and about 70 die. More people leave than arrive: net migration reduces the population by about 4,900 people a year. Overall, the population grows by about 70 people a day (1.10% a year).
In 1950, about 579,551 people lived there. Today there are 4.1 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2083, at about 3.3 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 3.0 million people (25% more than today), and by 2100 about 3.3 million.
Half of its people are younger than 22 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 2.61 children each, above the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 59 years (worldwide, 74). There are 79 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of Lesotho in 2026?
- Lesotho has about 2.4 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 2,389,336.
- How many people are born each day in Lesotho?
- About 150 a day (55,300 a year). About 70 people die each day (24,300 a year).
- Is the population of Lesotho growing?
- Yes: it grows by 1.10% a year, or about 26,200 people.
- What will the population of Lesotho be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 3.0 million, with a peak around 2083 at about 3.3 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Albania 2,744,738
- Gabon 2,664,527
- Botswana 2,616,384
- Guinea-Bissau 2,313,023
- Slovenia 2,113,613
- Equatorial Guinea 1,999,013
More countries in Africa
- Nigeria 243,986,485
- Ethiopia 139,989,698
- Egypt 120,651,606
- Democratic Republic of the Congo 117,604,627
- Tanzania 73,204,126
- South Africa 65,670,828
- Kenya 58,985,530
- Sudan 53,735,133
- Uganda 53,195,585
- Algeria 48,206,597
- Angola 40,591,432
- Morocco 38,862,774
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.