Population
Lesotho's population totals approximately two million, according to recent estimates. The population distribution of Lesotho is 19 percent urban and 81 percent rural. Population density is lower in the highlands than in the western lowlands. Although the majority of the population -- 57.6 percent -- is between 15 and 64 years of age, Lesotho has a substantial youth population numbering around 37 percent.
Ethno-linguistic Makeup
Lesotho's ethno-linguistic structure consists almost entirely of the Sotho, a Bantu-speaking people. The Kwena are the largest subgroup of the Sotho; other Sotho subgroups include the Natal (North) Nguni, the Mahlape, and the Cape (South) Nguni (Thembu). The Southern Sotho (Sesotho) and English languages are both official. Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa and French are also spoken.
Religion
Roman Catholics, the largest religious group, make up more than two-fifths of the population; smaller groups include the Lesotho Evangelical Church which comprises more than one-fourth of the population; Anglican, one-ninth; and other Christians and tribal religionists.
Education and Literacy
An estimated 85 percent of the population age 15 and over was literate, according the recent estimates. As such, Lesotho boasts one of the higher literacy rates in Africa. Although education is not compulsory, the Government of Lesotho was incrementally implementing a program for free primary education. It was expected that the program would be in place by 2006.
Health and Welfare
In terms of health and welfare, life expectancy at birth in Lesotho it around 40 years of age and the infant mortality rate is 78.59 deaths per 1,000 live births. Population growth is 0.129 percent. Lesotho is also home to one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates of over 30 percent. Significant mortality due to AIDS 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.
Note that 12.4 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures; 13.2 percent of GDP is spent on health expenditures.
Human Development
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI places Lesotho in the low human development category, at 141st place.
NOTE: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch.com; see Bibliography for research sources.