Population, female in Lesotho
Lesotho: Population, female was 1.21 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.21 million
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
144th
of 218 countries
All-time high
1.21 million
in 2025
All-time low
410,163
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, female in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, female in Lesotho is 1.21 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, female in Lesotho peaked at 1.21 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 410,163, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, female in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 410,163 | — |
| 1961 | 421,985 | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 434,194 | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 446,724 | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 459,533 | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 472,656 | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 488,558 | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 504,311 | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 517,506 | +2.6% |
| 1969 | 531,104 | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 545,145 | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 559,671 | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 574,714 | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 590,297 | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 606,547 | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 623,670 | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 641,371 | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 659,351 | +2.8% |
| 1978 | 677,878 | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 697,097 | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 716,958 | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 737,417 | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 758,449 | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 780,024 | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 802,097 | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 824,629 | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 848,157 | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 869,939 | +2.6% |
| 1988 | 889,042 | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 907,708 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 925,699 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 942,913 | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 959,250 | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 974,414 | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 988,289 | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 1.00 million | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 1.01 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 1.02 million | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1.03 million | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.03 million | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 1.03 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.03 million | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.02 million | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 1.02 million | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.01 million | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 1.00 million | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 999,590 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 1.00 million | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.01 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 1.02 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.03 million | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.04 million | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 1.05 million | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.06 million | +1.1% |
| 2014 | 1.07 million | +1.1% |
| 2015 | 1.08 million | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 1.09 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 1.11 million | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 1.12 million | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 1.15 million | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.16 million | +1.1% |
| 2022 | 1.17 million | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.19 million | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 1.20 million | +1.1% |
| 2025 | 1.21 million | +1.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.21 million is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.25 million, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.21 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.54 million, 16% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 468,673 | 410,163 | 531,104 | 10 |
| 1970s | 617,574 | 545,145 | 697,097 | 10 |
| 1980s | 813,442 | 716,958 | 907,708 | 10 |
| 1990s | 987,998 | 925,699 | 1.03 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.02 million | 999,590 | 1.03 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.08 million | 1.03 million | 1.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.18 million | 1.15 million | 1.21 million | 6 |
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,227 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, female in Lesotho?
- Population, female in Lesotho was 1.21 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.21 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, female recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 410,163 in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for population, female?
- Lesotho ranks 144th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, female rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Population, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Female population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all female residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.