Population 2,207,954
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 39% (male 433,229; female 427,926)
15-64 years: 56.3% (male 600,476; female 642,538)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 43,691; female 60,094) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 1.33% (2002 est.)

Birth rate 30.72 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 16.81 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate -0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 82.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 47 years
female: 47.8 years (2002 est.)
male: 46.3 years

Total fertility rate 4.01 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate 23.57% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS 240,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths 16,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Religions Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Languages Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83%
male: 72%
female: 93% (1999 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Lesotho on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Lesotho People 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Lesotho People 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.