Rural population growth (annual %) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Rural population growth (annual %) was -0.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Lesotho, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population growth in Lesotho stood at -0.7%.
The figure is down 4.8% on the previous year and up 32.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Lesotho peaked at 3.2% in 1975 and was at its lowest, -1.9%, in 2005.
That places Lesotho 152nd out of 210 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.
Rural population growth (annual %) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.4% | — |
| 1962 | 2.3% | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 2.3% | -1.0% |
| 1964 | 2.3% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.3% | +1.3% |
| 1966 | 2.7% | +14.4% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | +13.8% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 3.0% | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 3.0% | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 3.0% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 3.0% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 3.1% | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 3.2% | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 3.1% | -3.1% |
| 1977 | 2.9% | -8.3% |
| 1978 | 2.8% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 2.9% | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 2.9% | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | -1.2% |
| 1986 | 2.5% | -11.0% |
| 1987 | 2.0% | -19.1% |
| 1988 | 1.7% | -14.6% |
| 1989 | 1.5% | -14.9% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -16.7% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | -18.0% |
| 1992 | 0.8% | -19.1% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | -22.3% |
| 1994 | 0.5% | -23.8% |
| 1995 | 0.4% | -17.7% |
| 1996 | 0.3% | -18.7% |
| 1997 | 0.1% | -68.9% |
| 1998 | -0.2% | -281.2% |
| 1999 | -0.4% | +129.6% |
| 2000 | -0.7% | +56.3% |
| 2001 | -0.9% | +32.1% |
| 2002 | -1.1% | +22.4% |
| 2003 | -1.3% | +21.3% |
| 2004 | -1.6% | +22.3% |
| 2005 | -1.9% | +18.9% |
| 2006 | -1.5% | -22.1% |
| 2007 | -0.7% | -48.9% |
| 2008 | -0.6% | -16.1% |
| 2009 | -0.7% | +13.3% |
| 2010 | -0.8% | +11.8% |
| 2011 | -0.8% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | -0.8% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | -0.9% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | -0.9% | +7.5% |
| 2015 | -1.0% | +9.6% |
| 2016 | -1.0% | -4.9% |
| 2017 | -0.4% | -63.3% |
| 2018 | -0.4% | +23.5% |
| 2019 | -0.5% | +14.9% |
| 2020 | -0.5% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | -0.6% | +10.7% |
| 2022 | -0.6% | +15.2% |
| 2023 | -0.6% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | -0.6% | +0.6% |
| 2025 | -0.7% | +4.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's -0.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9%. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's -0.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.2%. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rural population growth (annual %) in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -281.2% | 0.1% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | -129.6% | -0.2% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 3.0% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.5% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4% | -0.4% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | -1.1% | -1.9% | -0.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | -0.7% | -1.0% | -0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -0.6% | -0.7% | -0.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Lesotho?
- Rural population growth in Lesotho was -0.7% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 1975.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.9% in 2005.
- How does Lesotho rank for rural population growth?
- Lesotho ranks 152nd out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 32.9%. 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 Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.