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Lesotho — Population growth
Population Growth (Annual %) for Lesotho, 1961–2025.
Latest value · 2025
1.10%
Population Growth (Annual %) · annual % · -63.1% since 1961
Population growth for Lesotho was 1.10% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 65 years, from 1961 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 3.67% in 1968. The lowest was -0.92% in 2005 (about -1.2× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.55% per year.
Lesotho ranks 96 of 217 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 44%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 2.30%, so Lesotho sits below it. It peaked in 1968 and has fallen 70% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 6%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
1.10%
First (1961)
2.99%
Change
-63.1%
Highest
3.67%
in 1968
Lowest
-0.92%
in 2005
Average
1.79%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-1.55%
Years of data
65
Recent years
| Year | annual % |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.1% |
| 2024 | 1.12% |
| 2023 | 1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.08% |
| 2021 | 1.15% |
| 2020 | 1.18% |
| 2019 | 1.17% |
| 2018 | 1.22% |
| 2017 | 1.24% |
| 2016 | 1.22% |
| 2015 | 1.17% |
| 2014 | 1.14% |
Reading this correctly. Annual population growth rate. A negative value means the population shrank, usually through emigration or low birth rates. Figures are in annual %. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SP.POP.GROW — Population Growth (Annual %). Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.