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Key Demographic Features of Lesotho*

Location: Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references: Africa

People

Population: 1,970,781 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 404,733; female 402,813)
15-64 years: 54% (male 519,493; female 553,618)
65 years and over: 5% (male 37,237; female 52,887) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 81.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.08 years
male: 50.08 years
female: 54.14 years (1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Religions: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Languages: Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 71.3%
male: 81.1%
female: 62.3%

Government

Country Abbreviation: LT
Type of government: modified constitutional monarchy
Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution: 2 April 1993
Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Economy

Economic overview:
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 13.5% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita: $1,430 (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: substantial unemployment and underemployment

Communications

Telephones: 12,000 (1991 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 66,000
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 11,000 (1992 est.)

*Source: World Factbook 1996, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

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