Urban population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Urban population was 44.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 44.7% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Lesotho peaked at 44.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.7%, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 163rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.7% | — |
| 1961 | 4.2% | +16.0% |
| 1962 | 4.9% | +14.5% |
| 1963 | 5.5% | +12.7% |
| 1964 | 6.1% | +10.9% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | +9.0% |
| 1966 | 7.1% | +7.3% |
| 1967 | 7.6% | +6.9% |
| 1968 | 8.1% | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 8.7% | +6.8% |
| 1970 | 9.2% | +6.3% |
| 1971 | 9.7% | +5.7% |
| 1972 | 10.2% | +4.9% |
| 1973 | 10.6% | +4.0% |
| 1974 | 10.9% | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 11.1% | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 11.2% | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 11.2% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 11.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 11.3% | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 11.3% | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 11.5% | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 11.8% | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 12.3% | +4.1% |
| 1990 | 12.9% | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 13.6% | +5.3% |
| 1992 | 14.3% | +5.4% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 15.8% | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 16.5% | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 17.7% | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 18.2% | +3.2% |
| 1999 | 18.8% | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 19.9% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 21.1% | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 21.8% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 22.5% | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 23.3% | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 24.2% | +3.8% |
| 2008 | 25.2% | +4.0% |
| 2009 | 26.3% | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 28.6% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 29.9% | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 31.2% | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 32.6% | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 34.1% | +4.4% |
| 2016 | 35.5% | +4.2% |
| 2017 | 36.5% | +2.9% |
| 2018 | 37.6% | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 38.6% | +2.8% |
| 2020 | 39.6% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 40.7% | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 41.7% | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 42.7% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 43.7% | +2.3% |
| 2025 | 44.7% | +2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 44.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 88% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 44.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 100% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.7% | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.0% | 12.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 19.3% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.2% | 27.4% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.2% | 39.6% | 44.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 160 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 161 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 162 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 164 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
- 165 Togo 44.4% compare
- 166 Moldova 43.7% compare
More climate change data for Lesotho
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 6.55 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,116 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 715.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,401 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 50.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 61.29 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 51.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 9.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.1962 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Lesotho?
- Urban population in Lesotho was 44.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.7% in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for urban population?
- Lesotho ranks 163rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.