Bhutan vs Lesotho: Share of population living in urban areas

Bhutan
30.5%
in 2020
Lesotho
37.7%
in 2020
Bhutan rank
223rd
Lesotho rank
220th

Share of population living in urban areas over time

  • Bhutan
  • Lesotho
10203040195019852020

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 37.7% against 30.5% in Bhutan, a difference of 7.2%.

That makes Lesotho's figure about 1.2 times Bhutan's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Lesotho ahead.

Bhutan ranks 223rd and Lesotho ranks 220th of 236 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Bhutan averaged higher in 1 and Lesotho in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bhutan Lesotho Difference Ahead
1950s 11.6% 14.0% 2.4% Lesotho
1960s 15.4% 16.5% 1.1% Lesotho
1970s 20.8% 20.3% 0.4% Bhutan
1980s 24.4% 28.7% 4.3% Lesotho
1990s 27.4% 35.2% 7.7% Lesotho
2000s 29.9% 37.2% 7.3% Lesotho
2010s 32.3% 36.9% 4.6% Lesotho
2020s 30.5% 37.7% 7.3% Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher share of population living in urban areas, Bhutan or Lesotho?
Lesotho, at 37.7% against 30.5% in Bhutan as of 2020.
What is the difference in share of population living in urban areas between Bhutan and Lesotho?
7.2%, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bhutan and Lesotho?
15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
How do Bhutan and Lesotho rank globally for share of population living in urban areas?
Bhutan ranks 223rd and Lesotho ranks 220th of 236 countries.
Where does this data come from?
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.