Number of children under 5 in Lesotho
Lesotho: Number of children under 5 was 266,337 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Number of children under 5 in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in Lesotho is 266,337 people, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 2.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Lesotho peaked at 294,002 people in 1991 and was at its lowest, 108,504 people, in 1950.
Lesotho ranks 133rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 113,980 people | 108,504 people | 126,468 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 146,884 people | 130,338 people | 163,441 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 194,234 people | 167,465 people | 228,978 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 265,587 people | 237,102 people | 290,805 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 281,839 people | 266,343 people | 294,002 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 255,624 people | 252,092 people | 262,675 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 276,152 people | 260,200 people | 284,383 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 272,560 people | 266,337 people | 278,781 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.6457 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.77 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6724 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5102 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.4131 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 221.03 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in Lesotho?
- Number of children under 5 in Lesotho was 266,337 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 294,002 people in 1991.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 108,504 people in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for number of children under 5?
- Lesotho ranks 133rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.