Share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of population living in urban areas was 37.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho stood at 37.7%.
The figure is up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho peaked at 37.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 13.5%, in 1950.
Lesotho ranks 220th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 13.5% | — |
| 1955 | 14.4% | +6.3% |
| 1960 | 15.7% | +8.9% |
| 1965 | 17.2% | +9.9% |
| 1970 | 19.2% | +11.6% |
| 1975 | 21.4% | +11.4% |
| 1980 | 27.2% | +26.8% |
| 1985 | 30.2% | +11.3% |
| 1990 | 34.3% | +13.5% |
| 1995 | 36.0% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 37.8% | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 36.7% | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 36.6% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 37.1% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 37.7% | +1.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 37.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 71.3%, 53% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 37.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 69.4%, 54% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 14.0% | 13.5% | 14.4% | 2 |
| 1960s | 16.5% | 15.7% | 17.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 20.3% | 19.2% | 21.4% | 2 |
| 1980s | 28.7% | 27.2% | 30.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 35.2% | 34.3% | 36.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 37.2% | 36.7% | 37.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 36.9% | 36.6% | 37.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.7% | 37.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Lesotho was 37.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 37.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.5% in 1950.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Lesotho ranks 220th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
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.