Lesotho vs South Africa: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP
Lesotho
-0.2%
in 2025
South Africa
-0.5%
in 2025
Lesotho rank
178th
South Africa rank
180th
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
Lesotho currently reports -0.2% against -0.5% in South Africa, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 11 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1975 it was South Africa ahead.
Lesotho ranks 178th and South Africa ranks 180th of 198 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.1% | -0.2% | 0.2% | Lesotho |
| 1980s | 1.6% | 0.0% | 1.6% | Lesotho |
| 1990s | 2.6% | 0.5% | 2.1% | Lesotho |
| 2000s | 3.2% | 1.8% | 1.4% | Lesotho |
| 2010s | 2.5% | 1.1% | 1.4% | Lesotho |
| 2020s | -0.2% | 2.3% | 2.6% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp, Lesotho or South Africa?
- Lesotho, at -0.2% against -0.5% in South Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 0.3%, with Lesotho ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 51 years are reported by both, from 1975 to 2025.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Lesotho ranks 178th and South Africa ranks 180th of 198 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Net inflows of foreign direct investment from foreign investors to the reporting economy.