Lesotho Country Overview
Where is Lesotho located? The Kingdom of Lesotho (formerly called Basutoland) is located in southern Africa. Although it is not politically part of South Africa, it is in the same time zone on the time zone map, the “South Africa Standard Time” (SAST). Clocks in this world time zone are always 2 hours later than those in Coordinated World Time (UTC+2). Due to its proximity to the equator, Lesotho does not use daylight saving time.
Bordering Countries of Lesotho
According to abbreviationfinder, Lesotho is a small landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered by South Africa to the west, east, and south. The shared border between Lesotho and South Africa is 1,126 miles long. Lesotho and South Africa have a long history of cooperation, with both countries being members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). This has helped to foster economic ties between the two nations, with South Africa providing much needed infrastructure and investment into Lesotho.
Lesotho is surrounded by the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) to the northwest. This small nation shares a border of approximately 65 miles with Lesotho. Although there have been some tensions over water rights due to Eswatini’s dependence on Lesotho’s rivers for its own water supply, relations between the two countries are generally good. The two nations have signed several agreements in recent years aimed at increasing cooperation between them in areas such as trade and security.
To the northeast lies Mozambique which has a shared border of approximately 230 miles with Lesotho. While there has been some tension between the two countries due to their different political systems and ideologies, relations are generally good and Mozambique provides an important trading partner for Lesotho’s exports such as agricultural products. There have also been attempts at closer cooperation between them in areas such as health care and infrastructure development in recent years.
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Lesotho is 1,969,334, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 1,969,334 |
| Population growth rate | 0.16% |
| Birth rate | 24.60 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall | 52.30 years |
| Men | 52.20 years |
| Women | 52.39 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 31.84% |
| 15-64 years | 62.63% |
| 65 years and above | 5.53% |
| Median age | 23.80 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 0.97 |
| Population density | 64.88 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 17.90% |
| Ethnicities | |
| 99.7% Sotho (Basotho) | |
| Religions | |
| Christians 80%, indigenous religions 20% | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.518 |
| HDI ranking | 164th out of 194 |
People in Lesotho
Almost two million people live in Lesotho. The Basotho make up almost the entire population of Lesotho. Most of the country, namely three quarters, cannot be inhabited at all due to the altitude.
Most people live in the capital, Maseru, although there aren’t many cities in Lesotho. Other larger cities are Teyateyaneng and Mafeteng. Around 50,000 or 20,000 people live here.
A low life expectancy
25 out of 100 people in Lesotho have contracted the HI virus, so the population growth is very low. Many people die even though they have not yet reached the age of 35. Children in particular suffer from this (see also children). Average life expectancy is only 53 years.
Languages in Lesotho
The Basotho language is called Sesotho. Sesotho belongs to the Bantu languages. Bantu peoples moved south from East Africa in the 16th century, bringing their language with them. They adopted the click sounds from the San who lived here, which are now also typical of Sesotho.
English is also spoken a lot. Both languages are used in administration. Incidentally, “Lesotho” means “land of the Sotho-speaking people”.
Religions in Lesotho
The people in Lesotho still live very traditionally. At the top is a king, followed by the chiefs and chieftains. Although there are democratic elections in Lesotho, these people still have great power and influence over the people of the country. Most people, namely 90 out of 100, are Christians, but there are also residents who feel committed to their old beliefs or to the natural religions. They worship their ancestors and make offerings to keep them healthy and happy in life.