Lesotho: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Basutoland • Kingdom of Lesotho
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Sam Matekane
Capital	Maseru
Population	(2026 est.) 2,149,000
Head Of State	King: Letsie III
Form Of Government	constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate [33¹]; National Assembly [120²])
Official Languages	Sotho; English
Official Religion	Christianity
Official Name	‘Muso oa Lesotho (Sotho); Kingdom of Lesotho (English)
Total Area (Sq Km)	30,355
Total Area (Sq Mi)	11,720
Monetary Unit	loti (plural maloti [M])
Population Rank	(2026) 148
Population Projection 2030	2,180,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 183.4
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 70.8
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 30.9% • Rural: (2024) 69.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2023) 60.1 years • Female: (2023) 67.7 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 2,748
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 1,180
¹ Includes 22 principal chiefs, and 11 senators nominated by the king; the president and vice president of the Senate may be elected from outside of that body.²Includes 120 directly elected members, 80 from constituencies and 40 by proportional representation; the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly may be elected from outside that body.

Photos

Political map of Lesotho, a landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa, showing its national boundary, major cities including Maseru (the capital), Mafeteng, Mohale's Hoek, Quthing, Qacha's Nek, Mokhotlong, and Butha-Buthe, as well as rivers and key towns. An inset locator map highlights Lesotho's position within southern Africa.

Four traditional Basotho sandstone rondavels with thatched roofs and colored door frames stand in a grassy, remote mountain landscape in Lesotho, Africa.

Map of southern Africa highlighting Lesotho in orange, showing its position as a landlocked country entirely surrounded by South Africa. Neighboring countries, including Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Eswatini, are labeled, and Lesotho's capital, Maseru, is marked with a star.

Map of Lesotho highlighting its physical features, including the Maloti and Drakensberg mountain ranges, major rivers, reservoirs such as Katse and Mohale, and key sites like Sehlabathebe National Park and Mount Ntlenyana. Surrounding areas of South Africa are shown, and an inset locator map places Lesotho within southern Africa.

Mountainous landscape in Lesotho with brown hills and visible curved contour plowing patterns for farming across the prairie.

Maloti Mountains

Lesotho: housing

See All Images and Interactives →

Topics

Moshoeshoe Moshoeshoe II Africa Southern Africa nation-state Commonwealth Teyateyaneng Southern African Development Community Maseru member states of the Commonwealth United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

default image

Moshoeshoe

African chief

default image

Moshoeshoe II

king of Lesotho

A map of the continent of Africa, including its countries, boundaries, and capital cities. It also shows parts of Europe and Asia and surrounding bodies of water, including the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean.

Africa

continent

Namib desert

Southern Africa

region, Africa

default image

Teyateyaneng

Lesotho

Maseru, Lesotho

Maseru

national capital, Lesotho

default image

Mohale’s Hoek

Lesotho

default image

Quthing

Lesotho

Maloti Mountains

Maloti Mountains

mountains, Lesotho

default image

Thaba Bosiu

plateau, Lesotho

Thabana Ntlenyana, Lesotho

Thabana Ntlenyana

mountain, Lesotho

Maletsunyane Falls

Maletsunyane Falls

waterfall, Lesotho

South Africa

country, Africa

Physical features of Southern Africa

Orange River

river, Africa

Drakensberg mountains

Drakensberg

mountain range, Africa

Great Escarpment

Great Escarpment

mountains, Africa

default image

Mont-aux-Sources

mountain, South Africa-Lesotho

Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)

Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

Church of Saint George (Bet Giyorgis), Lalibela, Ethiopia. UNESCO World Heritage site.

Geography of Africa Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

The Country Quiz

7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia

Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz

Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries & Their Features

Mount Kenya in Mount Kenya National Park is the highest mountain in Africa. UNESCO World Heritage Site. Giant Lobelia in foreground. (Mt. Kenya; Mt. Kenya National Park; mountains; rugged mountain; African geography, African landscape, stratovolcano)

Africa’s Physical Features

Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery

Countries of the World

Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.

Geography Fun Facts

10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres

You Name It!

Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.

Which Country Is Larger? Quiz