Lesotho - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Lesotho. Landlocked, an enclave of (completely surrounded by) South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level. Mother's mean age at first birth is 20.9 years (2014 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 566 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Lesotho
| Location | Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 29 30 S, 28 30 E |
| Map references | Africa |
| Tarrain | mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains |
| Natural Resources | water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone |
| Natural Hazards | periodic droughts |
| Irrigated Land | 12 sq km (2013) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth |
| Major aquifers | |
| Land Boundaries | 1,106 km |
| Border Countries | South Africa 1,106 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) |
| Climate | temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 30,355 sq km |
| Water Area | 0 sq km |
| comparative Area | slightly smaller than Maryland |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m |
| Lowest point | junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m |
| Mean elevation | 2,161 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 74.8% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 8.8% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 65.9% (2022 est.) |
| Forest | 1.1% (2022 est.) |
| Other | 24.1% (2022 est.) |
Population Distribution
Relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people as shown in this population distribution map
People and Society
In Lesotho, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Sotho 99.7%, other 0.3% (includes Kwena, Nguni (Hlubi and Phuthi), Zulu)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 0.76% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 22.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 10.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 10.2% of GDP (2021) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | |
| Total fertility rate | 2.85 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 1.4 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 64.9% (2018) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 53.7% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
| Education expenditures | 8.7% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | -4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Basotho | Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural) |
| Languages | Sesotho (official), English (official), Phuthi, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Religions | Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 32% (male 358,137/female 353,618) |
| 15-64 years | 62.7% (male 699,197/female 696,626) |
| 65 years and over | 5.4% (2024 est.) (male 44,625/female 75,345) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 62.1 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 55.3 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 6.8 |
| Potential support ratio | 14.7 (2021 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 23.9 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 23.4 years |
| Female | 24.3 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 30.4% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.03 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.01 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.59 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 45.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 51 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 40.2 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 60.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 58.1 years |
| Female | 62.3 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 95.7% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 77.2% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 82.6% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 4.3% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 22.8% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 17.4% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 93.6% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 62.4% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 71.4% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 6.4% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 37.6% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 28.6% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 3.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 1.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 0.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 24.3% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 43.1% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 5.4% (2020 est.) |
| Child marriage | |
| Women married by age 15 | 1% |
| Women married by age 18 | 16.4% |
| Men married by age 18 | 1.9% (2018 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Lesotho
Want to know more about Lesotho? Check all different factbooks for Lesotho below.
