Key demographics
- Population
- 2.2M
- Density
- 66.1/km²
- HDI
- 0.550 (Medium)
- Gini index (2017)
- 44.9
- Life expectancy (2024)
- 57.8 yrs
- Fertility rate (2024)
- 2.66
- Urban population (2025)
- 44.7%
- Literacy rate (2024)
- 90.5%
- Labor force (2025)
- 59.1%
- Gender wage gap (2024)
- 3.8%
Population structure
- Dependency ratio
- 61.2%
- Profile
- Young
- Urban population (2025)
- 44.7%
- Birth rate (2024)
- 23.8 /1000
- Death rate (2024)
- 10.5 /1000
- Fertility rate (2024)
- 2.66
- Infant mortality (2024)
- 56.3 /1000
- Slum population (2022)
- 25.6%
- Tourism (2019)
- 1.1M
Languages and culture
| Language | Native name |
|---|---|
| English | English |
| Sotho | Sesotho |
| Religion | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Christianity | 92.1% |
| Traditional faiths | 6.6% |
| No religion | 1.0% |
| Others | 0.3% |
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Basotho | 99.7% |
| Others | 0.3% |
- Demonym (male)
- Mosotho
- Demonym (female)
- Mosotho
- National anthem
- Lesotho Fatse La Bontata Rona
Healthcare
- Life expectancy (2024)
- 57.8 yrs
- HALE (2021)
- 44.6 yrs
- Health spending (2023)
- 12.6% of GDP
- Infant mortality (2024)
- 56.3/1000
- UHC index (2023)
- 55/100
- Hospital beds (2006)
- 1.3/1000
- Physicians (2022)
- 0.24/1000
- Nurses (2022)
- 1.76/1000
- Health spending per capita (2023)
- $123
- Out-of-pocket (2023)
- 13.2%
Education and technology
- Literacy rate (2024)
- 90.5%
- Education spending (2024)
- 6.6% of GDP
- Learning outcomes (2020)
- 393
- Internet users (2024)
- 51.8%
- Mobile subscriptions (2024)
- 70.3/100
- Broadband (2024)
- 0.4/100
- Secure servers (2024)
- 86/1M
Broadband connectivity
- Broadband per 100 (2024)
- 0.4
Geography and practical
- Area
- 30,355 km²
- Continent
- Africa
- Region
- Africa
- Subregion
- Southern Africa
- Landlocked
- Yes
- Driving side
- Left
- Timezones
- UTC+02:00
- Calling codes
- +266
- Postal code
- ###
- TLD
- .ls
- Maps
- Google Maps · OpenStreetMap
Borders
National symbols
- Flag
- The flag of Lesotho is composed of three horizontal bands of blue, white and green in the ratio of 3:4:3. A black mokorotlo — a Basotho hat — is centered in the white band.
- National anthem
- Lesotho Fatse La Bontata Rona