Lesotho vs South Africa: Population growth
Lesotho
1.1%
in 2025
South Africa
1.1%
in 2025
Lesotho rank
96th
South Africa rank
93rd
Population growth over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 1.1% against 1.1% in Lesotho, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Lesotho ahead.
Lesotho ranks 96th and South Africa ranks 93rd of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 2 and South Africa in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 0.2% | Lesotho |
| 1970s | 3.3% | 2.8% | 0.5% | Lesotho |
| 1980s | 2.6% | 3.2% | 0.6% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 1.6% | 0.4% | South Africa |
| 2000s | -0.1% | 1.0% | 1.1% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 2020s | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population growth, Lesotho or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 1.1% against 1.1% in Lesotho as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population growth between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 0.0%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for population growth?
- Lesotho ranks 96th and South Africa ranks 93rd of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as Population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.