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The African Exponent DATA

Country

🇱🇸 Lesotho

LS · LSL Lesotho loti · Compare Lesotho →

Policy rate not yet covered
Headline inflation 3.50% stale May 2026
FX premium +11.64% week +5.69%
Latest T-bill not yet covered

Tier 1 · Markets

The Market Now

Series Per US$1 As of Source
Official reference 16.29 25 Sep 2026, 00:00 UTC ECB reference rates (via Frankfurter API)
Marketparallel 18.19 27 Sep 2026, 00:20 UTC Bybit P2P
Premium +11.64% week +5.69% market vs official

Official rate, 10-year annual average (World Bank)

10141820142017202020232025

Premium history · since Aug 2026 · our collectors

-14%0%14%Aug 2026Sep 2026

Download CSV — FX history · Download CSV — official rate, annual

Tier 2 · Policy & Prices

Policy & Prices

Policy rate

not yet covered

Inflation

Series YoY Period Source
Headline stale 3.50% May 2026 Source

As of 12 Sep 2026, 19:49 UTC

Download CSV — headline

Yield curve

not yet covered

Tier 3 · Structure

Structure & trajectory

Annual indicators, latest available year on each card · Sources: World Bank / UN / IMF WEO Oct 2025 / V-Dem / EIA

17 of 26 indicators improving improving

Rule: for each metric with at least two observations, direction is the sign of (latest − earliest). Child mortality, $3/day poverty, national poverty, debt service, debt-to-GDP, and the Gini index are inverted (a decline is improvement). Overall: improving if ≥60% of those metrics improved, mixed if 40–60%, worsening if <40%.

Population

2.4M · 2025

2.1M2.2M2.4M201520172019202120232025

↑ 283,236 since 2014

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GDP per capita (PPP)

$3,184 · 2025

$2,500$2,850$3,200201520172019202120232025

↑ $412.87 since 2014

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GDP per capita growth

0.9% · 2025

-10%0%5%201520172019202120232025

↑ 0.3 pts since 2014

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Life expectancy

57.8 years · 2024

505458201420162018202020222024

↑ 7 years since 2014

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Child mortality

60 per 1,000 · 2024

606978201420162018202020222024

↓ 17.6 since 2014

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Internet users

51.8% · 2024

22%37%52%201420162018202020222024

↑ 29.8 pts since 2014

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Manufacturing share of GDP

12.1% · 2024

12%14.5%17%201420162018202020222024

↓ 0.2 pts since 2014

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Electricity access

60.6% · 2024

27%44%61%201420162018202020222024

↑ 32.8 pts since 2014

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Adult literacy

90.4% · 2024

86%91.5%97%20162018202020222024

↓ 6.8 pts since 2016

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Debt service / exports

6.9% · 2024

3.1%6%8.9%201420162018202020222024

↑ 3.7 pts since 2014

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Exports of goods and services

$948.6M · 2025

$880M$1.1B$1.3B201520172019202120232025

↑ $43.1M since 2014

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GDP growth

2% · 2025

-9%0%6%201520172019202120232025

↑ 0.3 pts since 2014

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GDP

$2.6B · 2025

$2B$2.3B$2.6B201520172019202120232025

↑ $132.5M since 2014

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Unemployment

16.3% · 2025

16%17%18%201520172019202120232025

↑ 0.2 pts since 2014

ILO modeled estimate — national definitions differ

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FDI inflows

$-5.8M · 2025

$-25.6M$0$113.2M201520172019202120232025

↓ $100.2M since 2014

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Remittances

$533.1M · 2025

$340M$455M$570M201520172019202120232025

↑ $126.9M since 2014

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External debt

$1.8B · 2024

$910M$1.4B$1.8B201420162018202020222024

↑ $861.1M since 2014

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Agriculture share of GDP

6.5% · 2025

3.7%5.2%6.7%201520172019202120232025

↑ 2.5 pts since 2014

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Services share of GDP

55.6% · 2025

49%52.5%56%201520172019202120232025

↑ 2.5 pts since 2014

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Investment rate

30.9% · 2025

24%27.5%31%201520172019202120232025

↑ 1.5 pts since 2014

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Terms of trade

81.90 · 2024

78.0094.00110.00201420162018202020222024

↓ 6.30 since 2014

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FX reserves

$1B · 2024

$650M$875M$1.1B201420162018202020222024

↓ $73.4M since 2014

includes gold

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Lending rate

11.2% · 2024

8.2%10.1%12%201420162018202020222024

↑ 0.9 pts since 2014

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Deposit rate

2.5% · 2024

1.1%1.9%2.7%201420162018202020222024

↓ 0.3 pts since 2014

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Health expenditure

12.6% · 2023

9.1%15.6%22%2014201820202023

↑ 2.6 pts since 2014

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Physicians

0.2 per 1,000 · 2022

0.20.30.520182019202020212022

↓ 0.2 since 2018

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Tertiary enrollment

9.9% · 2018

9.7%9.8%10%20142015201620172018

↓ 0.5 pts since 2014

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Tourist arrivals

1.1M · 2019

1M1.1M1.2M201420152016201720182019

↑ 63,000 since 2014

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Account ownership

61.6% · 2024

45%54.5%64%201720212024

↑ 16 pts since 2017

Findex · every 3–4 years

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Exports per capita derived

$401.39 · 2025

$380$475$570201520172019202120232025

↓ $33.96 since 2014

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Median age

21.4 years · 2023

2020.5212014201820202023

↑ 1.2 years since 2014

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Government revenue / GDP

56.8% · 2026

44%52.5%61%201620182020202220242026

↑ 3.6 pts since 2014

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Debt to GDP

49% · 2026

40%52%64%20142017202020232026

↑ 7.5 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Gross debt (national currency)

LSL 24.8B · 2026

LSL 11BLSL 18.5BLSL 26B20142017202020232026

↑ LSL 13.4B since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Current account / GDP

-3.4% · 2026

-15%0%3%20142017202020232026

↑ 4.7 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Budget balance / GDP

4.2% · 2026

-10%0%9%20142017202020232026

↑ 1 pts since 2014

Source: IMF WEO · latest 1–2 years are IMF estimates

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Electoral democracy

0.66 · 2025

0.500.580.67201520172019202120232025

↑ 0.04 since 2014

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Trade profile

Exports

$948.6M · 2025

$880M$1.1B$1.3B20142017202020232025

↑ $43.1M since 2014

Imports

$2.2B · 2025

$1.9B$2.1B$2.4B20142017202020232025

↓ $11.7M since 2014

Balance derived

−$1.2B · 2025

$-1.3B$-1.1B$-1B20142017202020232025

↑ $54.7M since 2014

Top exports · 2024

Products

  1. Pearls, precious stones and metals $236.5M · 23.5%
  2. Beverages, spirits, vinegar $188M · 18.7%
  3. Apparel, knitted $171.4M · 17.1%
  4. Apparel, not knitted $132.2M · 13.2%
  5. Wool and animal hair $46M · 4.6%
  6. Electrical machinery and equipment $43.8M · 4.4%
  7. Other made-up textile articles $36.9M · 3.7%
  8. Machinery and mechanical appliances $31.5M · 3.1%
  9. Cotton $28.4M · 2.8%
  10. Milling products $20.1M · 2.0%

Partners

  1. South Africa $587.7M · 58.5%
  2. Belgium $236.4M · 23.5%
  3. United States $146.2M · 14.5%
  4. Germany $7.3M · 0.7%
  5. Eswatini $6.5M · 0.6%
  6. Canada $4.3M · 0.4%
  7. Botswana $2.8M · 0.3%
  8. United Kingdom $2.5M · 0.2%
  9. Egypt $2.1M · 0.2%
  10. Vietnam $1.3M · 0.1%

Top imports · 2024

Products

  1. Mineral fuels $288.9M · 15.4%
  2. Machinery and mechanical appliances $155.3M · 8.3%
  3. Electrical machinery and equipment $120.5M · 6.4%
  4. Vehicles other than railway $110.5M · 5.9%
  5. Knitted or crocheted fabrics $89.7M · 4.8%
  6. Cereals $65.3M · 3.5%
  7. Articles of iron or steel $60.7M · 3.2%
  8. Milling products $59.8M · 3.2%
  9. Beverages, spirits, vinegar $51.9M · 2.8%
  10. Plastics $48.6M · 2.6%

Partners

  1. South Africa $1.5B · 78.9%
  2. China $193.3M · 10.3%
  3. M49 490 $54.1M · 2.9%
  4. India $26.6M · 1.4%
  5. Japan $19.4M · 1.0%
  6. Mozambique $10.5M · 0.6%
  7. Zambia $9.8M · 0.5%
  8. United States $9.1M · 0.5%
  9. Botswana $8.9M · 0.5%
  10. Hong Kong $7.9M · 0.4%

2025 filings are still arriving — this page updates as each country reports

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