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FX

Southern Africa · LS · LSL

Lesotho

Lesotho is a $2.6B economy (2025), growing 2.0% in real terms, with consumer inflation at 4.3%. 22 of 22 tracked series are published for this country.

USD/LSL

16.6514

Lesotho loti

WB pipeline

$35.7M

2 projects to the Board

Data

Economy

GDP · 2025

$2.6B

+7.6% vs 2024

2010: $2.2B2011: $2.6B2012: $2.5B2013: $2.4B2014: $2.4B2015: $2.4B2016: $2.1B2017: $2.3B2018: $2.6B2019: $2.4B2020: $2.1B2021: $2.4B2022: $2.4B2023: $2.1B2024: $2.4B2025: $2.6B
#48 of 52

GDP growth · 2025

2.0%

−3.2 pts vs 2024

2010: 5.3%2011: 4.6%2012: 6.3%2013: 1.8%2014: 1.7%2015: 3.1%2016: 3.6%2017: -3.1%2018: -1.5%2019: -1.4%2020: -8.2%2021: 2.3%2022: 2.4%2023: 1.7%2024: 5.2%2025: 2.0%
#45 of 52

GDP per capita · 2025

$1.1K

+6.4% vs 2024

2010: $1.1K2011: $1.3K2012: $1.2K2013: $1.2K2014: $1.2K2015: $1.1K2016: $992.52017: $1.1K2018: $1.2K2019: $1.1K2020: $918.62021: $1.1K2022: $1K2023: $921.42024: $1K2025: $1.1K
#39 of 52

Inflation · 2025

4.3%

−1.8 pts vs 2024

2010: -2.4%2011: 5.0%2012: 6.1%2013: 4.9%2014: 5.4%2015: 3.2%2016: 6.6%2017: 4.4%2018: 4.8%2019: 5.2%2020: 5.0%2021: 6.0%2022: 8.3%2023: 6.3%2024: 6.1%2025: 4.3%
#20 of 50

Unemployment · 2025

16.3%

−0.0 pts vs 2024

2010: 16.1%2011: 16.1%2012: 15.8%2013: 15.9%2014: 16.1%2015: 16.2%2016: 16.1%2017: 16.4%2018: 16.6%2019: 16.9%2020: 18.4%2021: 18.2%2022: 16.6%2023: 16.3%2024: 16.3%2025: 16.3%
#10 of 53

Population · 2025

2.4M

+1.1% vs 2024

2010: 2M2011: 2M2012: 2M2013: 2.1M2014: 2.1M2015: 2.1M2016: 2.1M2017: 2.2M2018: 2.2M2019: 2.2M2020: 2.2M2021: 2.3M2022: 2.3M2023: 2.3M2024: 2.3M2025: 2.4M
#45 of 54

Agriculture share · 2025

6.5%

−0.1 pts vs 2024

2010: 4.9%2011: 4.5%2012: 4.9%2013: 5.1%2014: 4.0%2015: 3.8%2016: 4.9%2017: 5.0%2018: 4.2%2019: 4.5%2020: 5.3%2021: 6.0%2022: 6.0%2023: 6.7%2024: 6.6%2025: 6.5%
#41 of 51

Data

Debt, rates and money

Government debt · 2020

3.0%

−29.2 pts vs 2019

2010: 29.6%2011: 27.1%2012: 32.2%2013: 33.2%2014: 33.0%2015: 33.1%2016: 42.1%2017: 37.4%2018: 32.8%2019: 32.2%2020: 3.0%

External debt · 2024

65.4%

−3.6 pts vs 2023

2010: 27.4%2011: 26.3%2012: 31.3%2013: 34.0%2014: 33.5%2015: 36.1%2016: 56.6%2017: 57.4%2018: 48.1%2019: 55.5%2020: 71.2%2021: 65.2%2022: 64.0%2023: 68.9%2024: 65.4%
#13 of 48

Debt service · 2024

6.9%

−2.0 pts vs 2023

2010: 2.1%2011: 2.1%2012: 2.5%2013: 3.2%2014: 3.2%2015: 3.8%2016: 3.9%2017: 3.3%2018: 4.2%2019: 4.5%2020: 5.2%2021: 5.9%2022: 4.9%2023: 8.9%2024: 6.9%
#39 of 48

Import cover · 2024

5.5 mo

+0.8 mo vs 2023

2010: 7.1 mo2011: 3.8 mo2012: 4.2 mo2013: 5.2 mo2014: 5.6 mo2015: 5.5 mo2016: 5.2 mo2017: 3.3 mo2018: 3.4 mo2019: 3.9 mo2020: 4.2 mo2021: 4.1 mo2022: 3.9 mo2023: 4.7 mo2024: 5.5 mo
#8 of 35

Lending rate · 2024

11.2%

+0.1 pts vs 2023

2010: 11.2%2011: 10.4%2012: 10.1%2013: 9.9%2014: 10.3%2015: 10.6%2016: 11.6%2017: 11.6%2018: 11.4%2019: 11.3%2020: 9.0%2021: 8.2%2022: 9.0%2023: 11.1%2024: 11.2%
#15 of 24

Private credit · 2024

24.3%

−0.4 pts vs 2023

2010: 13.4%2011: 14.3%2012: 18.6%2013: 19.9%2014: 19.3%2015: 18.3%2016: 18.2%2017: 20.0%2018: 20.1%2019: 21.3%2020: 21.9%2021: 22.3%2022: 21.7%2023: 24.7%2024: 24.3%
#13 of 47

FX (annual avg) · 2025

17.9

−2.4% vs 2024

2010: 7.32011: 7.32012: 8.22013: 9.72014: 10.92015: 12.82016: 14.72017: 13.32018: 13.22019: 14.42020: 16.52021: 14.82022: 16.42023: 18.52024: 18.32025: 17.9
#43 of 52

Data

Capital flows

FDI inflows · 2025

$-5.8M

+54.1% vs 2024

2010: $9.5M2011: $61.2M2012: $56.7M2013: $50.4M2014: $94.5M2015: $113.2M2016: $79.2M2017: $42.2M2018: $40.9M2019: $35.7M2020: $28M2021: $-12.4M2022: $-7.8M2023: $-25.6M2024: $-12.6M2025: $-5.8M
#50 of 54

Remittances · 2025

$533.1M

+12.0% vs 2024

2010: $610.1M2011: $649.3M2012: $554.6M2013: $462.9M2014: $406.2M2015: $347.8M2016: $455.3M2017: $547M2018: $572.5M2019: $529.1M2020: $449.9M2021: $474.5M2022: $532.6M2023: $479.8M2024: $475.8M2025: $533.1M
#24 of 45

Data

Trade

Exports · 2025

49.5%

+0.1 pts vs 2024

2010: 42.1%2011: 47.7%2012: 41.8%2013: 38.2%2014: 38.1%2015: 42.9%2016: 45.8%2017: 47.5%2018: 49.8%2019: 46.2%2020: 44.4%2021: 46.1%2022: 46.5%2023: 42.7%2024: 49.4%2025: 49.5%
#7 of 49

Current account · 2025

-0.2%

−3.9 pts vs 2024

2010: -11.0%2011: -11.9%2012: -18.8%2013: -10.8%2014: -8.4%2015: -5.7%2016: -10.5%2017: -9.0%2018: -5.6%2019: -7.5%2020: -5.9%2021: -8.1%2022: -11.4%2023: -7.1%2024: 3.7%2025: -0.2%
#12 of 46

Data

Technology

Internet use · 2024

51.8%

+2.8 pts vs 2023

2010: 3.9%2011: 7.0%2012: 10.0%2013: 15.0%2014: 22.0%2015: 25.0%2016: 32.5%2017: 39.0%2018: 40.8%2019: 42.3%2020: 43.7%2021: 45.1%2022: 48.1%2023: 49.0%2024: 51.8%
#19 of 51

Mobile subscriptions · 2024

70

+1.4% vs 2023

2010: 492011: 612012: 762013: 872014: 1032015: 1022016: 1072017: 1102018: 722019: 762020: 702021: 812022: 682023: 692024: 70
#38 of 54

Data

Climate and energy

Electricity access · 2024

60.6%

+3.3 pts vs 2023

2010: 17.0%2011: 22.5%2012: 20.6%2013: 26.9%2014: 27.8%2015: 31.8%2016: 35.1%2017: 33.7%2018: 47.0%2019: 44.6%2020: 47.5%2021: 50.4%2022: 50.0%2023: 57.3%2024: 60.6%
#28 of 54

Renewable share · 2022

34.9%

+1.3 pts vs 2021

2010: 53.0%2011: 42.3%2012: 40.8%2013: 46.1%2014: 43.2%2015: 46.0%2016: 45.1%2017: 41.5%2018: 42.5%2019: 41.6%2020: 43.2%2021: 33.6%2022: 34.9%
#39 of 54

Source: World Bank Open Data · World Development Indicators & International Debt Statistics · rank among African countries with a recent print

The Wire

Lesotho headlines

All headlines →

Capital

World Bank lending to Lesotho

2 in the pipeline · 12 active · commitments as published by the Bank.

ProjectThemeStatusBoard dateCommitment
Lesotho Multisectoral Nutrition ProjectP519176Health & educationPipelineMar 2027$35.7M
Lesotho: Community Resilience and GBV Prevention ProjectP515571Climate & energyPipelineNov 2026—
Accelerating Sustainable and Clean Energy Access Transformation in LesothoP513939Climate & energyActiveMay 2026$50M
Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Project - Phase IIP512157Water & agricultureActiveSept 2025$17.8M
Lesotho Education Improvement ProjectP500587Health & educationActiveJul 2024$20M
Lesotho Integrated Transport, Trade and Logistics ProjectP502125Transport & urbanActiveJun 2024$80M
Lesotho Public Sector Foundations for Service Delivery ProjectP174171DigitalActiveJan 2024$12M
Lesotho Competitiveness and Financial Inclusion ProjectP175783Finance & fiscalActiveJun 2022$45M
Pathways to Sustainable Livelihoods ProjectP177814Finance & fiscalActiveJun 2022$26.5M
Lesotho Nutrition and Health System Strengthening ProjectP170278Health & educationActiveJun 2021$22M
AF Lesotho COVID-19 Emergency Preparedness and Response ProjectP176307OtherActiveJun 2021$22M
Lesotho Renewable Energy & Energy Access ProjectP166936Climate & energyActiveJan 2020$40M
Smallholder Agriculture Development Project - IIP165228Water & agricultureActiveMay 2019$50M
Lesotho Lowlands Water Development Project - Phase IIP160672Water & agricultureActiveMay 2019$101.8M

Source: World Bank Projects & Operations

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