Lesotho Population Pyramid 2031
Year
2031Lesotho in 2031
United Nations projections (medium variant) put the population of Lesotho at 2,520,021 in 2031. That would be 11.4% more than in 2021 (2,261,542).
With a projected median age of 24.3 years, Lesotho would have a youth dependency ratio of 47.7 and an old-age dependency ratio of 6.1 per 100 people of working age. This is an expansive pyramid — each cohort of children is larger than the one above it, the signature of high birth rates and rapid 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 | 2,520,021 | 24.3 | |
| Botswana | 2,804,989 | 26.2 | |
| Namibia | 3,449,496 | 23.6 | |
| Swaziland | 1,333,171 | 25.0 | |
| South Africa | 68,798,580 | 30.7 |





