Lesotho
ISO3: LSO • Sub-Saharan Africa • Lower middle income
Lesotho is a lower middle income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a population of about 2,337,423 and a GDP of $2.27 billion.
Explore 263 World Bank indicators for Lesotho below.
Lesotho at a Glance
- Capital
- Maseru
- Population
- 2,337,423
- Area
- 30,355 km²
- 77.0 /km²
- Currency
- LSL Lesotho loti
- Languages
- English, Sotho
- ISO codes
- LSO · LS
Key Development Indicators
Economy
GDP (current US$)
2.27B
2024
Economy
GDP per capita (current US$)
971.91
2024
Health & Population
Population, total
2.34M
2024
Health & Population
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
57.80
2024
Economy
Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)
6.11
2024
Labor & Business
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate)
16.32
2025
Education
Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
90.45
2024
Technology
Individuals using the Internet (% of population)
51.80
2024
Energy
Access to electricity (% of population)
57.30
2023
Economy
Trade (% of GDP)
141.51
2023
Health & Population
Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births)
478.00
2023
Health & Population
Urban population (% of total population)
43.68
2024
Other Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
The World Bank's Sub-Saharan Africa region covers countries at various stages of economic development. Compare Lesotho with its regional peers using the comparison tool.
Frequently asked questions about Lesotho
- What is the population of Lesotho?
- Lesotho has a population of approximately 2,337,423, according to the most recent World Bank data.
- What is the capital of Lesotho?
- The capital of Lesotho is Maseru.
- What region is Lesotho in?
- The World Bank places Lesotho in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
- What income group is Lesotho in?
- The World Bank classifies Lesotho as a Lower middle income economy.
- What currency does Lesotho use?
- Lesotho uses the Lesotho loti (LSL).
Data sourced from the World Bank Open Data portal. Values represent the most recent available year. NULL or missing values indicate data is suppressed, not collected, or not applicable for this country.