Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho
Lesotho: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 44.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho stood at 44.7%. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho peaked at 44.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.
Lesotho ranks 177th of 238 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1 |
| 1700s | 0.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% | 1 |
| 1710s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1720s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1730s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1740s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1750s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1760s | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 |
| 1770s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1780s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1790s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1800s | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 1 |
| 1810s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1820s | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 |
| 1830s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1840s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1850s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
| 1860s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1 |
| 1870s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 1880s | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1 |
| 1890s | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 1 |
| 1900s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1910s | 0.9% | 0.9% | 0.9% | 1 |
| 1920s | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 1 |
| 1930s | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1.1% | 1 |
| 1940s | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 1 |
| 1950s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.2% | 3.7% | 8.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.7% | 9.2% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.4% | 11.2% | 12.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.0% | 12.9% | 18.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.4% | 19.3% | 26.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.2% | 27.4% | 38.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.2% | 39.6% | 44.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 174 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 175 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 176 Democratic Republic of Congo 45.1% compare
- 178 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
- 179 Togo 44.4% compare
- 180 Moldova 43.7% compare
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 do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho?
- Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Lesotho was 44.7% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
- How does Lesotho rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
- Lesotho ranks 177th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
- Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.