Includes Lesotho real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Lesotho economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Lesotho best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital City: Maseru
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
| Central Bank | Central Bank of Lesotho |
|---|---|
| Currency | Maloti (LSL) |
| International Reserves |
USD 0.7 billion (2018) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
| Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 2.8 billion (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) | Intl$ 6.9 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
| Real GDP growth |
2007: 5.0% 2008: 5.5% 2009: 3.1% 2010: 6.3% 2011: 6.7% 2012: 4.9% 2013: 2.2% 2014: 3.0% 2015: 2.5% 2016: 3.1% 2017: -1.6% 2018: 1.5% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita – current prices | USD 1,357.8 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP per capita – PPP | Intl$ 3,394.5 (2018, estimate) |
| GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980: 0.0% 1990: 0.01% 2000: 0.01% 2010: 0.01% 2019: 0.005% *Estimate |
| GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 6.1% industry: 32% services: 52.5% (2017 estimate) |
| Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
| Inflation |
2015: 4.3% 2016: 6.2% 2017: 4.5% 2018: 4.7% 2019: 5.9% *Estimate |
Lesotho
Award Winners
Best Banks For Cash Management
Inflation & Debt
| Inflation |
2015: 4.3% 2016: 6.2% 2017: 4.5% 2018: 4.7% 2019: 5.9% *Estimate |
|---|---|
| Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: N/A Moody’s: N/A Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
| Unemployment rate | N/A |
| Household saving rates | N/A |
| Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015: 43.2% 2016: 37.0% 2017: 37.1% 2018*: 44.5% 2019*: 45.9% *Estimate |
| Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015: -1.2% 2016: -8.0% 2017: -3.4% 2018*: -5.1% 2019*: -4.1% *Estimate |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | N/A |
| Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
| Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 41.7% (2016) |
|---|---|
| Shares in world total merchandising export | 0.01% (2018) |
| Shares in world total commercial services export | 0.0005% (2018) |
| Total exports | USD 1.2 billion (2018) |
| Export commodities | Manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds |
| Total imports | USD 2.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
| Import commodities | Food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
| Exports – major partners | South Africa 57%, US 33.5% (2017) |
| Imports – major partners | South Africa 87.2% (2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
| Current account balance | USD -0.2 billion (2018 estimate) |
|---|---|
| Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
-8.6 % (2018 estimate) |
| FDI inflows |
2016: USD 48 million 2017: USD 43 million 2018: USD 39 million |
| FDI Outflows | N/A |
| Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
N/A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
| Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
| Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 122 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 84 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 165 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 158 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 114 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 94 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 147 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 110 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 40 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 99 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 126 out of 190 countries |
| Global competitiveness ranking |
131 out of 141 countries (2019) |
| Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 142 / Score: 53.1 (Mostly unfree) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
| Time Zone |
UTC+2 |
|---|---|
| Total Area | 30,355 sq km |
| Total Population |
1990: 1.62 million 2000: 1.87 million 2010: 1.93 million 2015: 1.99 million 2020*: 2.06 million *Estimate |
| Urban population as % of total population |
1960: 3.5% 1980: 11.5% 2000: 19.5% 2018: 28.2% |
| Population median age | 24.4 years |
| Population growth rate | 0.24% (2018 estimate) |
| Life expectancy | 53 years |
| % of population living on less than $3.10 a day | 78.1% (last available estimate, 2010) |
| Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
54.2 (last available estimate, 2010) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) |
| Freedom House rating |
Partly Free Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 3 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
| Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 0.4% Mobile: 0% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
| Internet users as % of total population | 29 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
| Languages | Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa |
|---|---|
| Literacy |
Total population: 79.4% Male: 70.1% Female: 88.3% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
| Religions | Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.) |
World Rankings
| Population | 2.06 M |
|---|---|
| Mercer Cost of living index | N/A |
| C02 Emissions per capita | 1.21 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Lesotho
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000