Editing Demographics of Lesotho (section)

==Population==
[[Image:Lesotho-demography.png|thumb|right|Historical population of Lesotho ([[Our World in Data]]).]]
According to the 2016 census, Lesotho has a total population of 2,007,201.<ref name="census">{{cite web |url=http://www.bos.gov.ls/2016%20Summary%20Key%20Findings.pdf |title=2016 census |work=Lesotho Bureau of Statistics |access-date=2018-08-28 |archive-date=2018-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180317232950/http://www.bos.gov.ls/2016%20Summary%20Key%20Findings.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> Of the population, 34.17 percent lived in urban and 65.83 percent in rural areas.<ref name="census" /> The country's capital, [[Maseru]], accounts for around half of the total urban population. The sex distribution is 982,133 male and 1,025,068 female, or around 96 males for each 100 females.<ref name="census" />

The average population density in the country is around 66,1 people per square kilometer. The density is lower in the [[Lesotho Highlands]] than in the western lowlands. Although the majority of the population—56.1 percent—is between 15 and 64 years of age, Lesotho has a substantial youth population numbering around 37.8 percent.<ref name="factbook" /> The annual population growth rate is estimated at 0.13%<ref name="factbook" />

According to {{UN_Population|source}} the total population was {{UN_Population|Lesotho}} in {{UN_Population|Year}}, 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
.<ref name="WPP 2010">[http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110506065230/http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/index.htm |date=May 6, 2011 }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
!
! width="80pt"|Total population
! width="80pt"|Population aged 0–14 (%)
! width="80pt"|Population aged 15–64 (%)
! width="80pt"|Population aged 65+ (%)
|-
| 1950
| 734 000||40.7||54.9||4.5
|-
| 1955
| 788 000||41.9||53.7||4.4
|-
| 1960
| 852 000||43.1||52.7||4.3
|-
| 1965
| 934 000||43.6||52.2||4.2
|-
| 1970
|1 033 000||44.1||51.8||4.2
|-
| 1975
|1 150 000||44.5||51.3||4.2
|-
| 1980
|1 310 000||44.3||51.6||4.1
|-
| 1985
|1 487 000||44.3||51.6||4.1
|-
| 1990
|1 639 000||44.1||51.7||4.2
|-
| 1995
|1 795 000||43.1||52.5||4.4
|-
| 2000
|1 964 000||41.2||54.3||4.5
|-
| 2005
|2 066 000||39.6||56.0||4.4
|-
| 2010
|2 171 000||37.4||58.3||4.3
|}

{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 10.IV.2016):<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/|title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 982 133
| align="right" | 1 025 068
| align="right" | 2 007 201
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 100 793
| align="right" | 99 362
| align="right" | 200 155
| align="right" | 9.97
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 109 953 
| align="right" | 111 523
| align="right" | 221 476
| align="right" | 11.03
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 107 879
| align="right" | 107 934
| align="right" | 215 813
| align="right" | 10.75
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 106 214
| align="right" | 103 652
| align="right" | 209 866
| align="right" | 10.46
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 98 827
| align="right" | 100 440
| align="right" | 199 267 
| align="right" | 9.93
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 95 802
| align="right" | 93 141
| align="right" | 188 943
| align="right" | 9.41
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 86 956
| align="right" | 81 189
| align="right" | 168 145
| align="right" | 8.38
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 68 246
| align="right" | 62 135
| align="right" | 130 381
| align="right" | 6.50
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 48 665
| align="right" | 47 630
| align="right" | 96 295
| align="right" | 4.80
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 36 425
| align="right" | 38 462
| align="right" | 74 887
| align="right" | 3.73
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 31 785
| align="right" | 38 574
| align="right" | 70 359
| align="right" | 3.51
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 25 759
| align="right" | 34 058
| align="right" | 59 817
| align="right" | 2.98
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 20 770
| align="right" | 28 451
| align="right" | 49 221
| align="right" | 2.45
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 15 311
| align="right" | 22 047
| align="right" | 37 358
| align="right" | 1.86
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 12 017
| align="right" | 18 791
| align="right" | 30 808
| align="right" | 1.53
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 8 467
| align="right" | 15 707
| align="right" | 24 174
| align="right" | 1.20
|-
| align="right" | 80-84
| align="right" | 5 424
| align="right" | 13 197
| align="right" | 18 621
| align="right" | 0.93
|-
| align="right" | 85-89
| align="right" | 1 873
| align="right" | 5 201
| align="right" | 7 074
| align="right" | 0.35
|-
| align="right" | 90-94
| align="right" | 662
| align="right" | 2 127
| align="right" | 2 789
| align="right" | 0.14
|-
| align="right" | 95+
| align="right" | 305
| align="right" | 1 447
| align="right" | 1 752
| align="right" | 0.09
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 318 625
| align="right" | 318 819
| align="right" | 637 444
| align="right" | 31.76
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 619 449
| align="right" | 627 732
| align="right" | 1 247 181
| align="right" | 62.14
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 44 059
| align="right" | 78 517
| align="right" | 122 576
| align="right" | 6.11
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2021) (Data are projections based on the 2016 Population Census.): <ref>{{Cite web |title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/#statistics |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=unstats.un.org}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 1 019 453
| align="right" | 1 057 858  
| align="right" | 2 077 311
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 100 104
| align="right" | 98 343
| align="right" | 198 446
| align="right" | 9.55
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 111 585 
| align="right" | 114 805
| align="right" | 226 390
| align="right" | 10.90
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 106 278
| align="right" | 106 664
| align="right" | 212 942
| align="right" | 10.25
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 100 311 
| align="right" | 96 522
| align="right" | 196 832
| align="right" | 9.48
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 95 959
| align="right" | 96 699
| align="right" | 192 658
| align="right" | 9.27
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 102 411
| align="right" | 98 595 
| align="right" | 201 006
| align="right" | 9.68
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 101 352
| align="right" | 92 981
| align="right" | 194 333
| align="right" | 9.36
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 80 459
| align="right" | 69 851
| align="right" | 150 310
| align="right" | 7.24
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 53 415
| align="right" | 49 648
| align="right" | 103 063
| align="right" | 4.96
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 37 537
| align="right" | 38 314
| align="right" | 75 852 
| align="right" | 3.65
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 33 352
| align="right" | 40 804
| align="right" | 74 155
| align="right" | 3.57
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 27 071
| align="right" | 37 915
| align="right" | 64 986
| align="right" | 3.13
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 22 945
| align="right" | 32 509
| align="right" | 55 454
| align="right" | 2.67
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 16 336
| align="right" | 23 852
| align="right" | 40 187
| align="right" | 1.93
|-
| align="right" | 70+
| align="right" | 30 340
| align="right" | 60 356
| align="right" | 90 696
| align="right" | 4.37
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 317 967
| align="right" | 319 812
| align="right" | 637 779
| align="right" | 30.70
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 654 810
| align="right" | 653 838
| align="right" | 1 308 648
| align="right" | 63.00
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 46 676
| align="right" | 84 208
| align="right" | 130 884
| align="right" | 6.30
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}