Population of Lesotho
Population: 2,217,000 people
Density: 71.5 people per square km
Net Migration Rate: -2 migrants/1,000 population
Birth Rate: 28 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population
Population Growth Rate: 1.0%
IMR: 91.0 deaths/1,000 live births
TFR: 3.2 children born per woman
% of Population < 15: 37%
% of Population > 65: 4%
Life Expectancy: 49 years
GNI PPP per capita in U.S. dollars: $1,800
Population living below US $2 per day: 62%
Mobile Phone Subscribers: 28 per 100 people
Motor Vehicles: No Data
Undernourished Population: 13.0%
Underweight children age 5 and under: 20.0%
HIV/AIDS among people 15-49: 23.6%
Density: 71.5 people per square km
Net Migration Rate: -2 migrants/1,000 population
Birth Rate: 28 births/1,000 population
Death Rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population
Population Growth Rate: 1.0%
IMR: 91.0 deaths/1,000 live births
TFR: 3.2 children born per woman
% of Population < 15: 37%
% of Population > 65: 4%
Life Expectancy: 49 years
GNI PPP per capita in U.S. dollars: $1,800
Population living below US $2 per day: 62%
Mobile Phone Subscribers: 28 per 100 people
Motor Vehicles: No Data
Undernourished Population: 13.0%
Underweight children age 5 and under: 20.0%
HIV/AIDS among people 15-49: 23.6%
Population Trends
The population of Lesotho in 1950 created an isosceles triangle on the graph. In 1960, there was a sudden drop in men aged 25 - 50. Over time, this gap in middle aged men remained until the 1980s when it dropped suddenly again in men aged 35 - 45. By 1990, however, the population had evened back out into a pyramid shape. The predicted growth for the future shows that the youngest age groups of Lesotho will shrink significantly, even though the older age groups will not grow much at all until 2040-2050
Historical Explanation
In 1950, political parties began to emerge in Lesotho, and Lesotho began to fight for it's independence from Britain. In the late 1960s, independence was won for Lesotho. This fight for Lesotho's independence explains the drop in men aged 25 - 45 in the 1950s and 60s because men around these ages were fighting for the independence of Lesotho and many of them died in the process. There was also more fighting in the 80s and 90s between rival army factions within the country, and this led to another drop in men aged 35 - 45. In 1997, the country of Lesotho became a Democracy. Over time, education and sanitation has been furthered in the country because they are not putting as many resources into fighting. In the future, more women will have access to education and so they will be having less children which will lead to a population with fewer children and teenagers in the 2050s.
Population Pyramid 1995
Population Pyramid 2010
Population Pyramid 2025
Population Pyramid 2050
Demographic Transition Model
Lesotho is a country that appears to be in stage two of the demographic transition model. The birth rate is almost twice as much as the death rate. The life expectancy is very low in Lesotho, one of the lowest in the world. The infant mortality rate is double that of the world average. 37% of the population is under age 15, and the population over age 65 is only 4%. The birth rate is 3.2, only slightly higher than the world average, but still a rate common for a stage two country. The GNI PPP for Lesotho is very low, only $1,800, a number common in stage two countries. The undernourished population is 13% and the undernourished children is 20%. These numbers are typical for a stage two country that is in its early development.