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If 2026 rates held for a lifetime, a woman in Lesotho would have about 2.61 children, above the 2.1 needed to sustain the population. Over the preceding five years it has fallen by 0.16 children per woman. About 55 thousand babies are born a year, a crude birth rate of 23.1 per 1,000. Its net reproduction rate sits at 1.15, above the 1.0 replacement mark. Women are having children at a mean age of 27.8 years. Mothers aged 15-19 account for 15% of births. By 2100, projections see it reaching 1.80 children per woman.
Fertility rate
2.61 children/woman
Birth rate
23.1 per 1,000 people
Total births
55.3K
Mean age at birth
27.8 years
Lesotho's fertility rate has fallen dramatically from 5.9 children per woman in 1976 to 2.61 today, still above the 2.1 replacement level. This decline is projected to continue, dropping below replacement to 1.80 by 2100. Teen pregnancy remains notable, with 15% of births to mothers aged 15-19.