External balance on goods and services in Lesotho

Lesotho: External balance on goods and services was -25.28 billion current LCU in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
-25.28 billion current LCU
Change on year
down 7.5%
World rank
120th
of 192 countries
All-time high
-6.60 million current LCU
in 1960
All-time low
-25.28 billion current LCU
in 2025
Years of data
41
1960–2025

External balance on goods and services in Lesotho, 1960–2025

-30.0B-20.0B-10.0B01960199220251960: -6.6M current LCU1961: -8.4M current LCU1962: -10.0M current LCU1963: -12.1M current LCU1964: -12.7M current LCU1965: -14.8M current LCU1966: -18.5M current LCU1967: -18.9M current LCU1968: -18.9M current LCU1969: -17.9M current LCU1970: -18.0M current LCU1971: -23.0M current LCU1972: -33.0M current LCU1973: -45.0M current LCU1974: -65.0M current LCU1975: -99.0M current LCU1976: -155.0M current LCU1977: -169.0M current LCU1978: -170.0M current LCU1979: -248.0M current LCU1980: -299.4M current LCU1981: -372.3M current LCU2007: -6.9B current LCU2008: -8.1B current LCU2009: -10.2B current LCU2010: -10.8B current LCU2011: -10.2B current LCU2012: -13.6B current LCU2013: -13.0B current LCU2014: -13.2B current LCU2015: -13.2B current LCU2016: -13.9B current LCU2017: -15.8B current LCU2018: -15.1B current LCU2019: -16.6B current LCU2020: -17.6B current LCU2021: -16.7B current LCU2022: -19.0B current LCU2023: -21.8B current LCU2024: -23.5B current LCU2025: -25.3B current LCU

Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

In 2025, external balance on goods and services in Lesotho stood at -25.28 billion current LCU. That is the lowest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.5% on the previous year and down 91.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Lesotho peaked at -6.60 million current LCU in 1960 and was at its lowest, -25.28 billion current LCU, in 2025.

Lesotho ranks 120th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -13.88 million current LCU -18.90 million current LCU -6.60 million current LCU 10
1970s -102.50 million current LCU -248.00 million current LCU -18.00 million current LCU 10
1980s -335.85 million current LCU -372.30 million current LCU -299.40 million current LCU 2
2000s -8.41 billion current LCU -10.23 billion current LCU -6.94 billion current LCU 3
2010s -13.54 billion current LCU -16.61 billion current LCU -10.18 billion current LCU 10
2020s -20.66 billion current LCU -25.28 billion current LCU -16.72 billion current LCU 6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 117 Tunisia -14.03 billion current LCU compare
  2. 118 Botswana -14.74 billion current LCU compare
  3. 119 Bolivia -15.58 billion current LCU compare
  4. 121 Canada -27.43 billion current LCU compare
  5. 122 Cape Verde -34.03 billion current LCU compare
  6. 123 Vanuatu -35.09 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More economy & growth data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is external balance on goods and services in Lesotho?
External balance on goods and services in Lesotho was -25.28 billion current LCU in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was -6.60 million current LCU in 1960.
What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was -25.28 billion current LCU in 2025.
How does Lesotho rank for external balance on goods and services?
Lesotho ranks 120th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 91.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
External balance on goods and services (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
192 places, 9,054 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.