Lesotho Population Pyramid 1971
Year
1971Lesotho in 1971
In 1971, Lesotho had a total population of 1,056,246 people. That is 39.2% more than in 1961, when the population stood at 758,824.
Half of the population was younger than 18.3 years; 43.1% were children under 15 and 3.9% were 65 or older. The pyramid is expansive: its wide base of young cohorts reflects high fertility and a rapidly growing population.
Data source: United Nations World Population Prospects, 2024 revision (medium variant) — last updated July 2024.
In 2023 women in Lesotho had on average 2.69 children, above the replacement level of 2.1.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
A child born there in 2023 could expect to live 57.4 years on average (60.0 years for girls, 54.6 for boys).
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, latest available year.
8,986 immigrants live in Lesotho, 0.4% of the population.
| South Africa | 5,964 |
| India | 522 |
| Pakistan | 522 |
| Uganda | 313 |
| China | 276 |
246,938 people born in Lesotho live in other countries.
| South Africa | 237,718 |
| Mozambique | 8,173 |
| Botswana | 292 |
| Swaziland | 226 |
| Australia | 157 |
Source: United Nations International Migrant Stock 2024.
| Country | Population | Median age | Relative size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | 1,056,246 | 18.3 | |
| Namibia | 780,584 | 18.0 | |
| Botswana | 600,481 | 15.3 | |
| Swaziland | 453,183 | 16.3 | |
| South Africa | 22,942,143 | 18.8 |





