Lesotho’s population will increase 10% by 2030

19 May 2020

Lesotho is a landlocked country and surrounded by a single country, South Africa.  Lesotho has a population of 2.1 million. According to ABiQ’s forecast, Lesotho’s population will reach 2.4 million by 2030. 

Lesotho had a GDP of $2.8 billion in 2019 or around $1,300 per capita. Its economy is driven by agriculture, mining, textile manufacturing, and remittances received from its citizens abroad. Its economy is closely linked to South Africa and is influenced by its economic cycles.   

Power and water:  

Lesotho has one of the lowest electricity access rates in Africa. It imports most of its electricity from South Africa. The government is planning to refurbish the existing transmission network and require funding to improve the electricity grid. These new projects will help improve their access to power rates. We expect that the country will require additional electricity generating capacity of 8 megawatts in the coming decade. 

Lesotho is a water-rich country. Neighbouring countries including South Africa receive some of their raw water supply from Lesotho. The existing water processing and distribution network requires investment in order to meet domestic demand. A growing population and their needs will further pressurize the existing infrastructure. We expect the country will need 16 million cubic meters of additional potable water per annum by 2030. 

Retail:  

Retailers based in South Africa have expanded to all its neighbouring countries. Lesotho is no exemption. The market already has a few international players and will be seeing more entrants in the coming years. We expect the country will need an additional 25,000 square meters of retail space by 2030 to meet the demands of the growing population. 

Healthcare:  

Lesotho aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage for all by 2030. The country will need to build more hospitals and train and develop more health workers to achieve the target. We expect there will be 2 additional hospitals required within the next 10 years to support current efforts.

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Lesotho

Population in 2020 

2.1 million 

Population by 2030 

2.4 million 

Population growth from 2020 to 2030 

10 % 

GDP 2019 

$ 2.8 bn 

Electricity Capacity required by 2030 

8 MW 

Additional Potable Water required per annum by 2030 

16 million m3 

Additional retail by 2030 

25,000 m2 

New Hospitals required by 2030 

 2

 

 

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