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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.
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USD 0.7 billion (2018)
International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
USD 2.8 billion (2018, estimate)
Intl$ 6.9 billion (2018, estimate)
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| 5% | 5.5% | 3.1% | 6.3% | 6.7% | 4.9% | 2.2% |
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016* | 2017* | 2018* | ||
| 3% | 2.5% | 3.1% | -1.6% | 1.5% |
*Estimate
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2019* |
| 0.0% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.005% |
*Estimate
(2017 estimate)
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 4.3% | 6.2% | 4.5% | 4.7% | 5.9% |
*Estimate
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
*Estimate
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| 43.2% | 37% | 37.1% | 44.5% | 45.9% |
*Estimate
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018* | 2019* |
| -1.2% | -8% | -3.4% | -5.1% | -4.1% |
*Estimate
Standard & Poor's: N/A
Moody's: N/A
Standard & Poor's / Moody's
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
-8.6 % (2018 estimate)
41.7% (2016)
0.01% (2018)
0.0005% (2018)
Manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds
Food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
South Africa 57%, US 33.5% (2017)
South Africa 87.2% (2017)
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| USD 48 million | USD 43 million | USD 39 million |
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
N/A
N/A
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
131 out of 141 countries
(2019)
Ranking: 142 / Score: 53.1 (Mostly unfree)
(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)
Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
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.)
| 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2015 | 2020* |
| 1.62 million | 1.87 million | 1.93 million | 1.99 million | 2.06 million |
*Estimate
| 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2018 |
| 3.5% | 11.5% | 19.5% | 28.2% |
Total population: 79.4%
Male: 70.1%
Female: 88.3%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
78.1% (last available estimate, 2010)
54.2 (last available estimate, 2010)
(0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality)
Partly Free
Political Rights: 3
Civil Liberties: 3 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Fixed: 0.4% Mobile: 0% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)