Lesotho
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 2.4M (2025). World rank 144 of 216; in Africa, 45 of 54. Area: 30,355 km². World rank 142 of 249; in Africa, 44 of 59. Life expectancy: 57.8 years (2024). World rank 212 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 50 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 2.1M → 2.4M, GDP $2.4B → $2.6B, and GDP per person $1,121 → $1,089. Worse than all its neighbours (South Africa): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Kingdom of Lesotho
- Local name
- Lesotho
- Capital
- Maseru
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Letsie III
- Head of government
- Sam Matekane
- Independence
- October 4, 1966
- Women in parliament
- 25% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 2,363,325 2025
- Area
- 30,355 km²
- GDP
- $2.6B 2025
- GDP per person
- $1,089 2025
- Life expectancy
- 57.8 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English, Southern Sotho
- Currency
- Lesotho Loti (LSL), South African Rand (ZAR)
- Time zones
- UTC+2
- Calling code
- +266
- Emergency numbers
- 112, 114, 115
- Driving side
- Left
- Plug types
- D
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- South Africa
- Agricultural land
- 92.9% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Thabana Ntlenyana, 3,482 m
- Lowest point
- Orange River, 1,400 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 2,161
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 15
- Warmest month in the capital
- January, 21°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 7°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 788 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 77.9 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +1.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 44.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -5.2K 2025
- Born in another country
- 0.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 34.1% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 62% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.9% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 60.4 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 55 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 2.7 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 23.8 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 10.5 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 47.8%, Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 10.5%, and no religion 2.3% (2014)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 51 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 42.5 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 39.3 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 47.1 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 59.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $3,184 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +2% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Lower-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $1,280 2025
- Inflation
- +4.3% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 34 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 6.5% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 25.2% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 55.6% 2025
- Unemployment
- 16.3% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 24.7% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 48.1% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 49.5% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 104% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +0.1% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.3% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 20.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 35.4% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 44.9 2017
- Living on under $3 a day
- 41.9% 2017
Education
- Adult literacy
- 90.5% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 80.2% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 59.4% 2017
- Higher education enrolment
- 9.9% 2018
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 6.6% 2024
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 12.6% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $123 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 13.2% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.2 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1.8 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.3 2006
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 90% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 56.3 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 60 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 478 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 17.1% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 6.2% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 42.3% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 28% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 78.1% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 47.9% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 58% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 38.2 2008
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 31.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 28.7 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 65.4 2025
- Natural hazards
- droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 26.4 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.4 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.3 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 1.1% 2024
- Protected areas
- 23.4% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 2,288 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 2.6% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 51.8% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 70 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.4 2024
- Internet domain
- .ls
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 60.6% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 34.9% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 99.8% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 0.2% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 1,300 1999
- Airports
- 34 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 32 2023
- Scientific articles per year
- 60 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 1 2019
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 0.1% 2024