Districts
The population of the districts of Lesotho according to the results of recent censuses and latest official projections.
| Name | Abbr. | Capital | Area A (km²) | Population Census (C) 1986-04-12 | Population Census (C) 1996-04-14 | Population Census (Cf) 2006-04-09 | Population Census (C) 2016-04-10 | Population Projection (P) 2023-07-01 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | LSO | Maseru | 30,355 | 1,605,177 | 1,862,275 | 1,876,633 | 2,008,801 | 2,103,600 | |||
| Berea | BER | Teyateyaneng | 2,222 | 149,289 | 241,946 | 250,006 | 262,616 | 271,700 | 222200 | ||
| Butha-Buthe | BUT | Butha-Buthe | 1,767 | 106,880 | 109,905 | 110,320 | 118,242 | 124,100 | 176700 | ||
| Leribe | LER | Hlotse | 2,828 | 274,935 | 302,664 | 293,369 | 337,521 | 371,100 | 282800 | ||
| Mafeteng | MAF | Mafeteng | 2,119 | 206,423 | 213,455 | 192,621 | 178,222 | 166,400 | 211900 | ||
| Maseru | MAS | Maseru | 4,279 | 311,829 | 393,154 | 431,998 | 519,186 | 586,000 | 427900 | ||
| Mohale's Hoek | MOH | Mohale's Hoek | 3,530 | 174,998 | 185,459 | 176,928 | 165,590 | 156,200 | 353000 | ||
| Mokhotlong | MOK | Mokhotlong | 4,075 | 80,514 | 86,468 | 97,713 | 100,442 | 102,300 | 407500 | ||
| Qacha's Nek | QAC | Qacha's Nek | 2,349 | 69,517 | 72,886 | 69,749 | 74,566 | 78,100 | 234900 | ||
| Quthing | QUT | Quthing | 2,916 | 120,264 | 127,560 | 124,048 | 115,469 | 108,400 | 291600 | ||
| Thaba-Tseka | THA | Thaba-Tseka | 4,270 | 110,528 | 128,778 | 129,881 | 135,347 | 139,200 | 427000 |
- The tabulated de jure population consists of the population residing within Lesotho plus Basotho citizens residing outside Lesotho. The 2016 total includes 1,600 persons in institutions.
- Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (web).
Major Urban Centers
| Name | Adm. | Population Census (C) 2016-04-10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maseru | MAS | 343,541 |
| 2 | Maputsoe | LER | 59,126 |
| 3 | Mohale's Hoek | MOH | 44,494 |
| 4 | Mafeteng | MAF | 43,247 |
| 5 | Hlotse | LER | 41,986 |
| 6 | Butha-Buthe | BUT | 38,770 |
| 7 | Quthing | QUT | 32,382 |
| 8 | Teyateyaneng | BER | 26,043 |
Contents: Urban Centers & Peri-Urban Centers
The population of the urban and peri-urban centers in Lesotho according to the results of recent censuses.
| Name | Status | Adm. | Population Census (C) 1986-04-12 | Population Census (C) 1996-04-14 | Population Census (Cf) 2006-04-09 | Population Census (C) 2016-04-10 | Area | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butha-Buthe | UrbC | BUT | 7,509 | 12,611 | 20,000 | 38,770 | 0 | |
| Hlotse | UrbC | LER | 8,021 | 23,122 | 21,000 | 41,986 | 0 | |
| Katse | PUrbC | THA | ... | ... | ... | 2,870 | 0 | |
| Ketane | PUrbC | MOH | ... | ... | ... | 1,908 | 0 | |
| Kolo/Motsekuoa | PUrbC | MAF | ... | ... | ... | 5,233 | 0 | |
| Kolonyama | PUrbC | LER | ... | ... | ... | 3,810 | 0 | |
| Lejone | PUrbC | LER | ... | ... | ... | 2,080 | 0 | |
| Likalaneng/Mohale | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 1,845 | 0 | |
| Mafeteng | UrbC | MAF | 12,598 | 20,804 | 32,148 | 43,247 | 0 | |
| Makhakhe | PUrbC | MAF | ... | ... | ... | 2,486 | 0 | |
| Mamathe | PUrbC | BER | ... | ... | ... | 7,695 | 0 | |
| Mantsebo | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 8,801 | 0 | |
| Mants'onyane | PUrbC | THA | ... | ... | ... | 5,697 | 0 | |
| Mapholaneng | PUrbC | MOK | ... | ... | ... | 3,739 | 0 | |
| Mapoteng-Makhoroana | PUrbC | BER | ... | ... | ... | 13,523 | 0 | |
| Maputsoe | UrbC | LER | 8,267 | 27,951 | 30,000 | 59,126 | 0 | |
| Marakabei | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 1,585 | 0 | |
| Maseru | UrbC | MAS | 115,000 | 170,000 | 227,880 | 343,541 | 0 | |
| Matelile | PUrbC | MAF | ... | ... | ... | 4,337 | 0 | |
| Matsieng | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 4,008 | 0 | |
| Mazenod | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 12,141 | 0 | |
| Mohale's Hoek | UrbC | MOH | 7,899 | 17,871 | 28,310 | 44,494 | 0 | |
| Mokhotlong | UrbC | MOK | 2,257 | 4,275 | 8,808 | 13,810 | 0 | |
| Morija | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 4,928 | 0 | |
| Mount Moorosi | PUrbC | QUT | ... | ... | ... | 6,677 | 0 | |
| Mphaki | PUrbC | QUT | ... | ... | ... | 1,889 | 0 | |
| Mpharane | PUrbC | MOH | ... | ... | ... | 2,083 | 0 | |
| Peka | PUrbC | LER | ... | ... | ... | 5,670 | 0 | |
| Pitseng | PUrbC | LER | ... | ... | ... | 6,194 | 0 | |
| Qacha's Nek | UrbC | QAC | 4,589 | 4,797 | 8,167 | 18,282 | 0 | |
| Quthing (Moyeni) | UrbC | QUT | 4,471 | 9,858 | 13,776 | 32,382 | 0 | |
| Ramabanta | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 1,883 | 0 | |
| Roma | PUrbC | MAS | 5,817 | ... | ... | 13,617 | 0 | |
| Rothe | PUrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 4,879 | 0 | |
| Sefikeng | PUrbC | BER | ... | ... | ... | 4,889 | 0 | |
| Sehlabathebe | PUrbC | QAC | ... | ... | ... | 1,896 | 0 | |
| Sehonghong | PUrbC | THA | ... | ... | ... | 2,134 | 0 | |
| Sekake | PUrbC | QAC | ... | ... | ... | 2,333 | 0 | |
| Semonkong | UrbC | MAS | ... | ... | ... | 8,247 | 0 | |
| Seshote | PUrbC | LER | ... | ... | ... | 1,775 | 0 | |
| Teyateyaneng | UrbC | BER | 10,000 | 17,000 | 21,000 | 26,043 | 0 | |
| Thabana-Morena | PUrbC | MAF | ... | ... | ... | 5,970 | 0 | |
| Thaba-Tseka | UrbC | THA | 2,127 | 4,449 | 6,752 | 16,010 | 0 | |
| Tsa-Kholo | PUrbC | MAF | ... | ... | ... | 2,688 | 0 |
- Maseru includes population from Berea district and Butha-Buthe includes population from Leribe district.
- Lesotho Bureau of Statistics (web).
Population Structure
Further information about the population structure.
| Gender (P 2023) | |
|---|---|
| Males | 1,033,554 |
| Females | 1,070,001 |
| Age Groups (P 2023) | |
|---|---|
| 0-14 years | 636,762 |
| 15-64 years | 1,332,609 |
| 65+ years | 134,184 |
| Age Distribution (P 2023) | |
|---|---|
| 0-9 years | 425,536 |
| 10-19 years | 402,351 |
| 20-29 years | 395,383 |
| 30-39 years | 363,495 |
| 40-49 years | 181,908 |
| 50-59 years | 142,709 |
| 60-69 years | 99,306 |
| 70+ years | 92,867 |
| Urbanization (C 2016) | |
|---|---|
| Rural | 1,170,000 |
| Peri-urban | 151,263 |
| Urban | 685,938 |