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Lesotho

LS

Southern Africa

Lesotho is home to 2 documented ethnic groups in Southern Africa — led by Basotho (~99%), Lesotho Other (~1%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
BasothoBasotho99.0%Lesotho 2016 Census; Basotho / Sotho (~99%, ~2.1M+ of ~2.1M total). Bantu / Sesotho language. Cross-border with the substantial South African Sotho population (~5M+) of Free State and Gauteng
Lesotho OtherLesotho Other1.0%Lesotho 2016 Census residual; includes Zulu, Xhosa, plus white-Lesotho and Asian-Lesotho smaller groups

Lesotho Phenotype Profile

Lesotho has a strongly Basotho demographic profile (~99%). The country is a landlocked enclave entirely surrounded by South Africa.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the Lesotho population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from Lesotho 2016 Census.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Bureau of Statistics Lesotho. Population and Housing Census 2016. Maseru: BoS; 2018.
  2. 2.Eldredge EA. A South African Kingdom: The Pursuit of Security in Nineteenth-Century Lesotho. Cambridge University Press; 1993.
  3. 3.Coplan DB. In the Time of Cannibals: The Word Music of South Africa's Basotho Migrants. University of Chicago Press; 1994.
  4. 4.Rosenberg S, Weisfelder RF. Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. 2nd ed. Scarecrow; 2013.
  5. 5.Murray C. Families Divided: The Impact of Migrant Labour in Lesotho. Cambridge University Press; 1981.

Other countries in Southern Africa

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Southern Africa nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Southern Africaethnic groups & countries →