Migration trends in Lesotho

Africa

246.9K people from Lesotho have built lives abroad. That's 10.6% of the country population, spread across 14 different countries

2.3M

Population

Immigrants

246.9K

Emigrants

−238K

Outflow

Every 10th person born in Lesotho now lives abroad

The #126 largest source of emigrants worldwide

Top corridors

The largest migration routes in Lesotho

Where people move to

237.7K96.3%

8.2K3.3%

2920.1%

Where people come from

6K66.4%

5225.8%

5225.8%

Key moments

How migration has changed since 1990

1990

4.5K immigrants · 130.3K emigrants

2015

A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 43%

Today

Since 1990: roughly the same number of foreign-born residents and 116.7K more citizens living abroad

Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)

Ask Migo

Tap a question — our AI assistant answers it in chat, with real migration data

Basotho Diaspora

Explore the full emigration overview

Explore the full emigration overview — top destinations, how the diaspora compares globally, historical trends, and more

Immigrants in Lesotho

Explore the full immigration overview

Explore the full immigration overview — where people come from, how the country compares as a destination, historical trends, and more

+10

Where to live?

Match a country to your priorities

Living in Lesotho

See the full country overview

Diaspora Immigrants