Sub-Saharan Africa · LS
Generation Alpha & Beta
in Lesotho
How many of each cohort Lesotho has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
Lesotho has approximately 814,810 Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 34% of its population, and roughly 96,064 Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 2.6 and its child population is shrinking, projected -4% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at Lesotho's own rate, less infant mortality. At 152 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 34% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 152 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Larger than the Alpha cohort — one of the countries where the next generation grows.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−4%)
Lesotho against the world average
Key dates for Lesotho
7 compulsory years from age 6.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach Lesotho's starting age of 6.
Under-15s change by −4% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow Lesotho's own starting age of 6 and 7 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
Lesotho in 20 numbers
| Indicator | Lesotho | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 2.4 million | — | #140 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 814,810 | — | #128 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 34% | — | #47 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 828,430 | — | #121 of 194 |
| Births per year | 55,312 | — | #124 of 194 |
| Births per day | 152 | — | #124 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 34% | 25% | #49 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.6 | 2.2 | #58 of 194 |
| Median age | 22 years | 31 years | #144 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 59 years | 73 years | #188 of 194 |
| Urban population | 45% | 58% | #146 of 194 |
| Internet use | 52% | 68% | #144 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 45% | 60% | #151 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 6 | — | #30 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 7 years | — | #169 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | Not reported | — | |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | Not reported | — | |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −4% | — | #80 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 55 per 100 adults | — | #50 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 70 | — | #168 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
Lesotho birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 55,700 babies were born in Lesotho in 2023, and women had 2.69 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 1987 at about 65,300. Fertility has stayed above the replacement level of 2.1 in every year since 1950. Annual births are 2% lower than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 25,300 | 5.70 |
| 1960 | 32,800 | 5.78 |
| 1970 | 41,600 | 5.70 |
| 1980 | 56,800 | 5.75 |
| 1990 | 63,600 | 4.81 |
| 2000 | 56,600 | 3.60 |
| 2010 | 58,200 | 3.25 |
| 2015 | 61,400 | 3.22 |
| 2020 | 57,300 | 2.85 |
| 2021 | 56,300 | 2.77 |
| 2022 | 55,800 | 2.72 |
| 2023 | 55,700 | 2.69 |
| 2025 projected | 55,400 | 2.64 |
| 2030 projected | 55,100 | 2.50 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa
Nigeria
95 million Generation Alpha
Ethiopia
48 million Generation Alpha
DR Congo
44 million Generation Alpha
Tanzania
28 million Generation Alpha
South Africa
17 million Generation Alpha
Kenya
19 million Generation Alpha
Uganda
20 million Generation Alpha
Sudan
19 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with Lesotho's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about Lesotho
How many Gen Alpha are there in Lesotho?
Approximately 814,810 people born between 2010 and 2024 live in Lesotho, about 34% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in Lesotho?
Roughly 96,064 children have been born in Lesotho since 1 January 2025, growing by about 6 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in Lesotho?
Lesotho has a total fertility rate of 2.6 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in Lesotho?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 6 in Lesotho, and runs for 7 years.
Is the child population in Lesotho growing or shrinking?
It is shrinking. The under-15 population is projected to change by -4% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in Lesotho each year?
About 55,700 in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 65,300 in 1987 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 55,100 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in Lesotho changed over time?
It was 5.70 children per woman in 1950 and 2.69 in 2023. It has not fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 in any year since 1950.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in Lesotho. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/lesotho
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.