Lesotho LS: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data was reported at 54.174 Year in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 53.745 Year for 2015. Lesotho LS: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 51.418 Year from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 59.464 Year in 1991 and a record low of 46.021 Year in 2003. Lesotho LS: Life Expectancy at Birth: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank: Health Statistics. Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, or derived from male and female life expectancy at birth from sources such as: (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Analysis unit

Persons and households

UNITS IDENTIFIED: - Dwellings: no - Vacant Units: No - Households: yes - Individuals: yes - Group quarters: no

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS: - Dwellings: no - Households: A household is one person or a group of persons who live together and have common catering arrangements, whether or not they are related by blood or marriage. If two or more groups of persons live in the same dwelling unit and have separate living and eating arrangements, treat them as separate households. - Group quarters: no

Universe

All persons present in the country on census day

Kind of data

Population and Housing Census [hh/popcen]

Sampling procedure

MICRODATA SOURCE: Bureau of Statistics

SAMPLE SIZE (person records): 180208.

SAMPLE DESIGN: Systematic sample of every tenth dwelling drawn by IPUMS from 100% microdata

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

A single census form for dwellings and persons

The total population of Lesotho was estimated at 2.16 million people in 2024. Between 1980 and 2024, the total population rose by 880,000 people, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. The total population will steadily rise by 170,000 people over the period from 2024 to 2030, reflecting a clear upward trend.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

In 2023, the annual population growth in Lesotho was 1.1 percent. Between 1961 and 2023, the figure dropped by 1.89 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Lesotho LS: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 12.702 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.919 Ratio for 2015. Lesotho LS: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 14.836 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.186 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 10.219 Ratio in 1992. Lesotho LS: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Abstract

The 2023-24 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (2023-24 LDHS) is designed to provide data for monitoring the population and health situation in Lesotho. The 2023-24 LDHS is the 4th Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Lesotho since 2004.

The primary objective of the 2023–24 LDHS is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the LDHS collected information on fertility levels, marriage, sexual activity, fertility preferences, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices, nutrition, childhood and maternal mortality, maternal and child health, awareness and behaviour regarding HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), other health issues (including tuberculosis) and chronic diseases, adult mortality (including maternal mortality), mental health and well-being, and gender-based violence. In addition, the 2023–24 LDHS provides estimates of anaemia prevalence among children age 6–59 months and adults as well as estimates of hypertension and diabetes among adults.

The information collected through the 2023–24 LDHS is intended to assist policymakers and programme managers in designing and evaluating programmes and strategies for improving the health of Lesotho’s population. The survey also provides indicators relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Lesotho.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15-59

Universe

The survey covered all de jure household members (usual residents), all women aged 15-49, all men aged 15-59, and all children aged 0-4 resident in the household.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling frame used for the 2023–24 LDHS is based on the 2016 Population and Housing Census (2016 PHC), provided by the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (BoS). The frame file is a complete list of all census enumeration areas (EAs) within Lesotho. An EA is a geographic area, usually a city block in an urban area or a village in a rural area, consisting of approximately 100 households. In rural areas, it may consist of one or more villages. Each EA serves as a counting unit for the population census and has a satellite map delineating its boundaries, with identification information and a measure of size, which is the number of residential households enumerated in the 2016 PHC. Lesotho is administratively divided into 10 districts; each district is subdivided into constituencies and each constituency into community councils.

The 2023–24 LDHS sample of households was stratified and selected independently in two stages. Each district was stratified into urban, peri-urban, and rural areas; this yielded 29 sampling strata because there are no peri-urban areas in Butha-Buthe. In the first sampling stage, 400 EAs were selected with probability proportional to EA size and with independent selection in each sampling stratum. A household listing operation was carried out in all of the selected sample EAs, and the resulting lists of households served as the sampling frame for the selection of households in the next stage.

In the second stage of selection, a fixed number of 25 households per cluster (EA) were selected with an equal probability systematic selection from the newly created household listing. All women age 15–49 who were usual members of the selected households or who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for the Woman’s Questionnaire. In every other household, all men age 15–59 who were usual members of the selected households or who spent the night before the survey in the selected households were eligible for the Man’s Questionnaire. All households in the men’s subsample were eligible for the Biomarker Questionnaire.

Fifteen listing teams, each consisting of three listers/mappers and a supervisor, were deployed in the field to complete the listing operation. Training of the household listers/mappers took place from 28 to 30 June 2024. The household listing operation was carried out in all of the selected EAs from 5 to 26 July 2024. For each household, Global Positioning System (GPS) data were collected at the time of listing and during interviews.

Mode of data collection

Computer Assisted Personal Interview [capi]

Research instrument

Four questionnaires were used for the 2023–24 LDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, the Man’s Questionnaire, and the Biomarker Questionnaire. The questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s model questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Lesotho and were translated into Sesotho. In addition, a self-administered Fieldworker Questionnaire collected information about the survey’s fieldworkers.

Cleaning operations

The survey data were collected using tablet computers running the Android operating system and Census and Survey Processing System (CSPro) software, jointly developed by the United States Census Bureau, ICF, and Serpro S.A. English and Sesotho questionnaires were used for collecting data via CAPI. The CAPI programmes accepted only valid responses, automatically performed checks on ranges of values, skipped to the appropriate question based on the responses given, and checked the consistency of the data collected. Answers to the survey questions were entered into the tablets by each interviewer. Supervisors downloaded interview data to their tablet, checked the data for completeness, and monitored fieldwork progress.

Each day, after completion of interviews, field supervisors submitted data to the central server. Data were sent to the central office via secure internet data transfer. The data processing managers monitored the quality of the data received and downloaded completed data files for completed clusters into the system. ICF provided the CSPro software for data processing and technical assistance in the preparation of the data capture, data management, and data editing programmes. Secondary editing was conducted simultaneously with data collection. All technical support for data processing and use of the tablets was provided by ICF.

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) initiated the 2004 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (LDHS) to collect population-based data to inform the Health Sector Reform Programme (2000-2009). The 2004 LDHS will assist in monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Health Sector Reform Programme since 2000 by providing data to be compared with data from the first baseline survey, which was conducted when the reform programme began. The LDHS survey will also provide crucial information to help define the targets for Phase II of the Health Sector Reform Programme (2005-2008). Additionally, the 2004 LDHS results will serve as the main source of key demographic indicators in Lesotho until the 2006 population census results are available. The LDHS was conducted using a representative sample of women and men of reproductive age. The specific objectives were to: Provide data at national and district levels that allow the determination of demographic indicators, particularly fertility and childhood mortality rates; Measure changes in fertility and contraceptive use and at the same time analyse the factors that affect these changes, such as marriage patterns, desire for children, availability of contraception, breastfeeding patterns, and important social and economic factors; Examine the basic indicators of maternal and child health in Lesotho, including nutritional status, use of antenatal and maternity services, treatment of recent episodes of childhood illness, and immunisation coverage for children; Describe the patterns of knowledge and behaviour related to the transmission of HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, and tuberculosis; Estimate adult and maternal mortality ratios at the national level; Estimate the prevalence of anaemia among children, women and men, and the prevalence of HIV among women and men at the national and district levels.

The population density in Lesotho saw no significant changes in 2022 in comparison to the previous year 2021 and remained at around 75.3 inhabitants per square kilometer. Still, the population density reached its highest value in the observed period in 2022. Population density is calculated by dividing the total population by the total land area, to show the average number of people living there per square kilometer of land.Find more key insights for the population density in countries like Kingdom of Eswatini and South Africa.

This statistic shows the total population of Lesotho from 2013 to 2023 by gender. In 2023, Lesotho's female population amounted to approximately 1.19 million, while the male population amounted to approximately 1.13 million inhabitants.

Lesotho population administrative level 0-1 sex and age disaggregated 2022 projected population statistics

REFERENCE YEAR: 2022

The level 1 (district) table is suitable for database or GIS linkage to the Lesotho administrative level 0 - 2 boundaries administrative level 1 shapefile.

Graph and download economic data for Population, Total for Lesotho (POPTOTLSA647NWDB) from 1960 to 2024 about Lesotho and population.

Population, female (% of total population) in Lesotho was reported at 51.28 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Lesotho LS: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 27.872 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 28.158 Ratio for 2015. Lesotho LS: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 36.549 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 42.815 Ratio in 1972 and a record low of 27.872 Ratio in 2016. Lesotho LS: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Lesotho – Table LS.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Individuals using the Internet (% of population) in Lesotho was reported at 48 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Individuals using the Internet (% of population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) in Lesotho was reported at 28.66 % in 2021, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Suicide mortality rate (per 100,000 population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

• Households
• Individuals
• Women age 12 to 49 years
• Housing Units

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Lesotho was reported at 75.3 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Abstract

The primary objective of the 2014 LDHS project is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the LDHS collected information on fertility levels, marriage, sexual activity, fertility preferences, awareness and use of family planning methods, breastfeeding practices, nutrition, childhood and maternal mortality, maternal and child health, awareness and behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and other health issues such as smoking, knowledge of breast cancer, and male circumcision. In addition, the 2014 LDHS provides estimates of anaemia prevalence among children age 6-59 months and adults, and gives estimates of hypertension, HIV prevalence and HIV incidence among adults. The 2014 LDHS is a follow-up to the 2004 and 2009 LDHS surveys.

The information collected through the LDHS is intended to assist policy makers and programme managers in evaluating and designing programmes and strategies for improving the health of the country’s population.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15-59

Universe

Target population for 2014 Lesotho DHS was women (age 15-49) and men (age 15-59) of reproductive age and their young children living in households.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

Sample Design The sampling frame used for the 2014 LDHS is an updated frame from the 2006 Lesotho Population and Housing Census (PHC) provided by the Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (BOS). The sampling frame excluded nomadic and institutional populations such as persons in hotels, barracks, and prisons.

The 2014 LDHS followed a two-stage sample design and was intended to allow estimates of key indicators at the national level as well as in urban and rural areas, four ecological zones, and each of Lesotho's 10 districts. The first stage involved selecting sample points (clusters) consisting of enumeration areas (EAs) delineated for the 2006 PHC. A total of 400 clusters were selected, 118 in urban areas and 282 in rural areas.

The second stage involved systematic sampling of households. A household listing operation was undertaken in all of the selected EAs in July 2014, and households to be included in the survey were randomly selected from these lists. About 25 households were selected from each sample point, for a total sample size of 9,942 households. Because of the approximately equal sample sizes in each district, the sample is not self-weighting at the national level, and weighting factors have been added to the data file so that the results will be proportional at the national level.

For further details on sample selection, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

Three questionnaires were used for the 2014 LDHS: the Household Questionnaire, the Woman’s Questionnaire, and the Man’s Questionnaire. These questionnaires, based on The DHS Program’s standard Demographic and Health Survey questionnaires, were adapted to reflect the population and health issues relevant to Lesotho. Input was solicited from various stakeholders representing government ministries and agencies, nongovernmental organisations, and international donors. After the preparation of the definitive questionnaires in English, the questionnaires were translated into Sesotho.

Cleaning operations

In this survey, instead of using paper questionnaires, interviewers used personal digital assistants (PDAs) to record responses during interviews, and team supervisors managed the data using tablet computers. The PDAs and tablets were equipped with Bluetooth technology to enable remote electronic transfer of files (e.g., transfer of assignment sheets from team supervisors to interviewers and transfer of completed questionnaires from interviewers to supervisors). The computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) data collection system employed in the 2014 LDHS was developed by The DHS Program using the mobile version of CSPro.

The data processing operation included secondary editing, which involved resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions. The data were processed by one person who took part in the main fieldwork training. Data editing was accomplished using CSPro software. Secondary editing and data processing were initiated in October 2014 and completed in February 2015.

Response rate

A total of 9,942 households were selected for the sample, of which 9,543 were occupied. Of the occupied households, 9,402 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 99%. This compares favourably to the 2009 LDHS response rate (98%).

In the interviewed households, 6,818 eligible women were identified for individual interviews; interviews were completed with 6,621 women, yielding a response rate of 97%. In the subsample of households selected for the male survey, 3,133 eligible men were identified and 2,931 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 94%. The lower response rate for men was likely due to their more frequent and longer absences from the household.

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: nonsampling errors and sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 2014 Lesotho Demographic and Health Survey (2014 LDHS) to minimize this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 2014 LDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability among all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95% of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 2014 LDHS sample is the result of a multi-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. Sampling errors are computed by SAS programs developed by ICF International. These programs use the Taylor linearisation method to estimate variances for survey estimates that are means, proportions, or ratios. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

The Taylor linearisation method treats any percentage or average as a ratio estimate, r = y/x, where y represents the total sample value for variable y, and x represents the total number of cases in the group or subgroup under consideration.

Note: A more detailed description of estimate of sampling error is presented in APPENDIX B of the survey report.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables - Household age distribution - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed men - Completeness of reporting - Births by calendar years - Reporting of age at death in days - Sibship size and sex ratio of siblings

Note: See detailed data quality tables in APPENDIX D of the report.

Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) in Lesotho was reported at 8.8094 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Population ages 25-29, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Population, male (% of total population) in Lesotho was reported at 48.72 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Lesotho - Population, male (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.