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The People of Lesotho

Basotho People

Lesotho's map

Population: 2,130,819 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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.8% (male 373,159/female 368,271) 15-64 years: 60.2% (male 629,346/female 654,054) 65 years and over: 5% (male 42,074/female 63,915) (2009 est.)

Median age: total: 21.4 years male: 20.9 years female: 22 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.116% (2009 est.)

Death rate: 22.33 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate: total: 77.4 deaths/1,000 live births male: 81.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 72.92 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.38 years male: 41.18 years female: 39.54 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.06 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 23.2% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 270,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 18,000 (2007 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: 84.8% male: 74.5% female: 94.5% (2003 est.)