# Lesotho — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Maseru
- Region: Africa · Southern Africa
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/ls
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,363,325 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 30,360 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 1,089 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 3,184 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 2.6 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.52 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 2.02 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 4.38 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 57.8 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 2.66 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 16.3% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 4.3% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Internet users | 51.8% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 44.7% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 34.9% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 1.1% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 0.43 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 25% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 43.61 (2005) → 57.8 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 2.98 (2006) → 51.8 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 23.33 (2006) → 44.67 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 3.43 (2005) → 2.66 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 55.4 (2004) → 34.9 (2022) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 9.6 (2005) → 60.6 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 78.9 (2005) → 56.3 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 0.21 (2005) → 0.43 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 1.14 (2004) → 1.14 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.479 |
| 1991 | 0.478 |
| 1992 | 0.476 |
| 1993 | 0.472 |
| 1994 | 0.477 |
| 1995 | 0.473 |
| 1996 | 0.469 |
| 1997 | 0.465 |
| 1998 | 0.464 |
| 1999 | 0.456 |
| 2000 | 0.456 |
| 2001 | 0.452 |
| 2002 | 0.449 |
| 2003 | 0.450 |
| 2004 | 0.448 |
| 2005 | 0.447 |
| 2006 | 0.444 |
| 2007 | 0.450 |
| 2008 | 0.453 |
| 2009 | 0.457 |
| 2010 | 0.470 |
| 2011 | 0.478 |
| 2012 | 0.489 |
| 2013 | 0.494 |
| 2014 | 0.500 |
| 2015 | 0.508 |
| 2016 | 0.518 |
| 2017 | 0.522 |
| 2018 | 0.525 |
| 2019 | 0.528 |
| 2020 | 0.530 |
| 2021 | 0.522 |
| 2022 | 0.521 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/ls#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.