Lesotho Population Pyramid 2018
Year
2018Lesotho in 2018
In 2018, Lesotho had a total population of 2,183,603 people. Over the previous ten years the population grew by 11.0%, up from 1,966,540 in 2008.
With a median age of 21.7 years, Lesotho had a youth dependency ratio of 60.6 and an old-age dependency ratio of 6.3 per 100 people of working age. The broad-based, expansive shape of the pyramid points to high fertility and strong population growth.
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 | 2,183,603 | 21.7 | |
| Botswana | 2,299,141 | 22.9 | |
| Namibia | 2,577,327 | 21.7 | |
| Swaziland | 1,168,930 | 21.8 | |
| South Africa | 58,613,001 | 27.5 |





