Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) was 23.76 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
23.76 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.4%
World rank
56th
of 218 countries
All-time high
44.57 per 1,000 people
in 1960
All-time low
23.76 per 1,000 people
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Birth rate, crude in Lesotho, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2024, birth rate, crude in Lesotho stood at 23.76 per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.4% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in Lesotho peaked at 44.57 per 1,000 people in 1960 and was at its lowest, 23.76 per 1,000 people, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 56th out of 218 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 44.57 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 44.34 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1962 | 44.08 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 43.75 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1964 | 43.46 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 43.33 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 42.97 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1967 | 42.54 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 41.88 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1969 | 41.27 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1970 | 40.79 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 40.45 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 40.18 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 39.94 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 40.24 per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 40.62 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 41 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1977 | 41.1 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 41.02 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 40.79 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1980 | 40.38 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 39.92 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 39.46 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 38.95 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 38.42 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 37.93 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 37.53 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1987 | 38.33 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1988 | 37.36 per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 36.27 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 35.13 per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1991 | 34.19 per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1992 | 33.17 per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1993 | 31.95 per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1994 | 31.02 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 30.56 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 30.41 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 30.22 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 29.24 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 28.46 per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 28.25 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 28.72 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 29.36 per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 29.29 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 28.74 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 28.56 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 28.63 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 29.48 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 29.64 per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 29.35 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 29.16 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 30.21 per 1,000 people | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 30.03 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 29.99 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 29.5 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 29.18 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2016 | 28.93 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 28.24 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 27.36 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 26.44 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2020 | 25.63 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 24.9 per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2022 | 24.39 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 24.11 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 23.76 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 23.76 per 1,000 people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 25.33 per 1,000 people, 94% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 23.76 per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.86 per 1,000 people, 77% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 43.22 per 1,000 people | 41.27 per 1,000 people | 44.57 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.61 per 1,000 people | 39.94 per 1,000 people | 41.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 38.46 per 1,000 people | 36.27 per 1,000 people | 40.38 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.43 per 1,000 people | 28.46 per 1,000 people | 35.13 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 29 per 1,000 people | 28.25 per 1,000 people | 29.64 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.9 per 1,000 people | 26.44 per 1,000 people | 30.21 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.56 per 1,000 people | 23.76 per 1,000 people | 25.63 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 382 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate, crude in Lesotho?
- Birth rate, crude in Lesotho was 23.76 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest birth rate, crude recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 44.57 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- What is the lowest birth rate, crude recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.76 per 1,000 people in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for birth rate, crude?
- Lesotho ranks 56th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.