Lesotho vs Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio

Lesotho
159.0%
in 2011
Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa
80.1%
in 2011
Lesotho rank
1st
Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa rank
2nd

Merchandise trade to GDP ratio over time

  • Lesotho
  • Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa
50100150200196019852011

How they compare

Lesotho currently reports 159.0% against 80.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa, a difference of 78.9%.

That makes Lesotho's figure about 2.0 times Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa's.

Across all 52 years both countries report, Lesotho has been ahead every year.

Lesotho ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa ranks 2nd of 53 countries.

Lesotho has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Lesotho Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa Difference Ahead
1960s 63.9% 43.7% 20.2% Lesotho
1970s 104.0% 46.8% 57.2% Lesotho
1980s 155.8% 49.7% 106.1% Lesotho
1990s 156.1% 63.2% 92.9% Lesotho
2000s 180.7% 73.5% 107.2% Lesotho
2010s 158.4% 76.5% 81.8% Lesotho

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher merchandise trade to gdp ratio, Lesotho or Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
Lesotho, at 159.0% against 80.1% in Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa as of 2011.
What is the difference in merchandise trade to gdp ratio between Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
78.9%, with Lesotho ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa?
52 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2011.
How do Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa rank globally for merchandise trade to gdp ratio?
Lesotho ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa ranks 2nd of 53 countries.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank country economists, published as Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Lesotho vs Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa: Merchandise trade to GDP ratio. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank country economists. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/compare/merchandise-trade-to-gdp-ratio-percent/lesotho/sub-saharan-africa-excluding-south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Merchandise trade to GDP ratio (%)
Unit
%
Source
World Bank country economists
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
59 places, 2,599 data points, 1960–2011
Last refreshed

Merchandise trade as a share of GDP is the sum of merchandise exports and imports divided by the value of GDP, all in current US dollars and from the national accounts.