Kenya vs Lesotho: Rural population density

Kenya
575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Lesotho
515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land
in 2011
Kenya rank
11th
Lesotho rank
13th

Rural population density over time

  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
0200400600196119862011

How they compare

Kenya currently reports 575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Lesotho, a difference of 59.21 rural population per sq. km of arable land.

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

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

Kenya ranks 11th and Lesotho ranks 13th of 53 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 4 and Lesotho in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kenya Lesotho Difference Ahead
1960s 248.93 rural population per sq. km of arable land 244.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 4.05 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
1970s 317.85 rural population per sq. km of arable land 305.67 rural population per sq. km of arable land 12.18 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
1980s 380.17 rural population per sq. km of arable land 427.51 rural population per sq. km of arable land 47.34 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
1990s 438.29 rural population per sq. km of arable land 457.99 rural population per sq. km of arable land 19.7 rural population per sq. km of arable land Lesotho
2000s 528.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land 493.98 rural population per sq. km of arable land 34.91 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya
2010s 569.03 rural population per sq. km of arable land 504.58 rural population per sq. km of arable land 64.45 rural population per sq. km of arable land Kenya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rural population density, Kenya or Lesotho?
Kenya, at 575.09 rural population per sq. km of arable land against 515.88 rural population per sq. km of arable land in Lesotho as of 2011.
What is the difference in rural population density between Kenya and Lesotho?
59.21 rural population per sq. km of arable land, with Kenya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Lesotho?
51 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2011.
How do Kenya and Lesotho rank globally for rural population density?
Kenya ranks 11th 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

Kenya vs Lesotho: Rural population density. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank population estimates. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/compare/rural-population-density-rural-population-per-sq-km-of-arable-land/kenya/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/kenya/lesotho/">Kenya 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.