Population
According to the 2006 census, Lesotho has a total population of 1,872,721. Of the population, 23.74 percent lived in urban and 76.26 percent in rural areas. The country's capital, Maseru, accounts for around half of the total urban population. The sex distribution is 911,848 male and 960,873 female, or around 95 males for each 100 females.
The average population density in the country is around 61,7 people per square kilometer. The density is lower in the highlands than in the western lowlands. Although the majority of the population—59.8 percent—is between 15 and 64 years of age, Lesotho has a substantial youth population numbering around 35.3 percent. The annual population growth rate is estimated at 0.13%
According to the 2010 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 2 171 000 in 2010, compared to only 734 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 37.4%, 58.3% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.3% was 65 years or older .
| Total population (x 1000) | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 734 | 40.7 | 54.9 | 4.5 |
| 1955 | 788 | 41.9 | 53.7 | 4.4 |
| 1960 | 852 | 43.1 | 52.7 | 4.3 |
| 1965 | 934 | 43.6 | 52.2 | 4.2 |
| 1970 | 1 033 | 44.1 | 51.8 | 4.2 |
| 1975 | 1 150 | 44.5 | 51.3 | 4.2 |
| 1980 | 1 310 | 44.3 | 51.6 | 4.1 |
| 1985 | 1 487 | 44.3 | 51.6 | 4.1 |
| 1990 | 1 639 | 44.1 | 51.7 | 4.2 |
| 1995 | 1 795 | 43.1 | 52.5 | 4.4 |
| 2000 | 1 964 | 41.2 | 54.3 | 4.5 |
| 2005 | 2 066 | 39.6 | 56.0 | 4.4 |
| 2010 | 2 171 | 37.4 | 58.3 | 4.3 |
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Lesotho
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