Demographic profile
Lesotho is the 148th most populous of the 238 countries and territories tracked on this site, home to about 0.03% of everyone alive. Within Southern Africa, it ranks 4 of 5.
Each day brings roughly 122 births and 56 deaths, adding about 24,106 people over a year. At the current natural-increase rate of 1.05% annually, the population would double in roughly 67 years if the rate held. Real trajectories bend as fertility, mortality and migration shift, which is why the chart below shows both history and projection.
Literacy stands near 88.0% and adult smoking prevalence around 18.0%, with life expectancy at about 50.8 years. Baselines come from UN World Population Prospects, the World Bank, WHO surveys, WorldPop and HDX; the counters project them forward in real time — the method, and every caveat, is documented on our data sources page.
Quick answers
What is the population of Lesotho in 2026? Approximately 2,294,743 people (live projection; the counter above updates every second).
How fast is Lesotho growing? About 1.05% per year — roughly 122 births and 56 deaths every day.
What share of the world lives in Lesotho? Around 0.03% — ranked 148 worldwide by population.