Eswatini vs Lesotho: Rural population density

Eswatini
480.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Lesotho
515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Eswatini rank
15th
Lesotho rank
13th

Rural population density over time

  • Eswatini
  • Lesotho
0200400600196119862011

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 480.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Eswatini, a difference of 35.57 rural population per sq. km of arable land.

That makes Lesotho's figure about 1.1 times Eswatini's.

The two have swapped places 5 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Eswatini ahead.

Eswatini ranks 15th and Lesotho ranks 13th of 53 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Eswatini averaged higher in 1 and Lesotho in 5.

Head to head by decade

Decade Eswatini Lesotho Difference Ahead
1960s 262.02 rural population per sq. km of arable land 244.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 17.14 rural population per sq. km of arable land Eswatini
1970s 270.62 rural population per sq. km of arable land 305.67 rural population per sq. km of arable land 35.05 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
1980s 352.97 rural population per sq. km of arable land 427.51 rural population per sq. km of arable land 74.53 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
1990s 409.78 rural population per sq. km of arable land 457.99 rural population per sq. km of arable land 48.21 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
2000s 447.65 rural population per sq. km of arable land 493.98 rural population per sq. km of arable land 46.33 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
2010s 477.44 rural population per sq. km of arable land 504.58 rural population per sq. km of arable land 27.14 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population density, Eswatini or Lesotho?
Lesotho, at 515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 480.31 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Eswatini as of 2011.
What is the difference in rural population density between Eswatini and Lesotho?
35.57 rural population per sq. km of arable land, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Eswatini and Lesotho?
51 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2011.
How do Eswatini and Lesotho rank globally for rural population density?
Eswatini ranks 15th and Lesotho ranks 13th of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates, published as Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Eswatini vs Lesotho: Rural population density. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates. Retrieved 31 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/eswatini/lesotho/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/eswatini/lesotho/">Eswatini vs Lesotho: Rural population density</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Rural population density (rural population per sq. km of arable land)
Unit
rural population per sq. km of arable land
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,977 data points, 1961–2011
Last refreshed

Rural population density is the rural population divided by the arable land area. Rural population is calculated as the difference between the total population and the urban population. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.