Rural population in Lesotho
Lesotho: Rural population was 55.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population in Lesotho is 55.3%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Lesotho peaked at 96.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 55.3%, in 2025.
Lesotho ranks 55th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 96.3% | — |
| 1961 | 95.8% | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 95.1% | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 94.5% | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 93.9% | -0.6% |
| 1965 | 93.4% | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 92.9% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 92.4% | -0.5% |
| 1968 | 91.9% | -0.6% |
| 1969 | 91.3% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 90.8% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 90.3% | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 89.8% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 89.4% | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 89.1% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 88.9% | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 88.8% | -0.1% |
| 1977 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1980 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 88.8% | -0.0% |
| 1983 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1985 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 88.7% | -0.0% |
| 1987 | 88.5% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 88.2% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 87.7% | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 87.1% | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 86.4% | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 85.7% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 85.0% | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 84.2% | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 83.5% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 82.9% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 82.3% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 81.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 81.2% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 80.7% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 80.1% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 79.5% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 78.9% | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 78.2% | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 77.5% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 76.7% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 75.8% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 74.8% | -1.3% |
| 2009 | 73.7% | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 72.6% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 71.4% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 70.1% | -1.8% |
| 2013 | 68.8% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 67.4% | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 65.9% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 64.5% | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 63.5% | -1.6% |
| 2018 | 62.4% | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 61.4% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 60.4% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 59.3% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 58.3% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 57.3% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 56.3% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 55.3% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 93.8% | 91.3% | 96.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 89.3% | 88.8% | 90.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 88.6% | 87.7% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 84.0% | 81.2% | 87.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 77.6% | 73.7% | 80.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 66.8% | 61.4% | 72.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 57.8% | 55.3% | 60.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 52 Moldova 56.3% compare
- 53 Togo 55.6% compare
- 54 Central African Republic 55.4% compare
- 56 Democratic Republic of Congo 54.9% compare
- 57 Seychelles 54.5% compare
- 58 Zambia 54.1% compare
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)
- Agriculture share gdp 6.49 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 6.49 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Lesotho?
- Rural population in Lesotho was 55.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 96.3% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.3% in 2025.
- How does Lesotho rank for rural population?
- Lesotho ranks 55th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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.