External balance on goods and services in Lesotho
Lesotho: External balance on goods and services was -54.9% in 2025. ▬ Flat
External balance on goods and services in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, external balance on goods and services in Lesotho stood at -54.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 25.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Lesotho peaked at -26.7% in 1960 and was at its lowest, -120.7%, in 1976.
That places Lesotho 189th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
External balance on goods and services in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -26.7% | — |
| 1961 | -32.9% | +23.3% |
| 1962 | -33.4% | +1.5% |
| 1963 | -36.0% | +7.7% |
| 1964 | -34.2% | -4.9% |
| 1965 | -37.8% | +10.3% |
| 1966 | -45.7% | +21.0% |
| 1967 | -44.6% | -2.3% |
| 1968 | -43.1% | -3.6% |
| 1969 | -38.0% | -11.8% |
| 1970 | -36.7% | -3.5% |
| 1971 | -42.0% | +14.7% |
| 1972 | -53.1% | +26.2% |
| 1973 | -53.5% | +0.9% |
| 1974 | -63.4% | +18.5% |
| 1975 | -89.5% | +41.2% |
| 1976 | -120.7% | +34.9% |
| 1977 | -100.5% | -16.7% |
| 1978 | -73.3% | -27.1% |
| 1979 | -101.5% | +38.4% |
| 1980 | -89.1% | -12.2% |
| 1981 | -97.7% | +9.7% |
| 2007 | -58.6% | -40.1% |
| 2008 | -55.3% | -5.6% |
| 2009 | -69.4% | +25.5% |
| 2010 | -65.8% | -5.1% |
| 2011 | -54.4% | -17.5% |
| 2012 | -66.6% | +22.6% |
| 2013 | -56.9% | -14.6% |
| 2014 | -50.0% | -12.1% |
| 2015 | -43.9% | -12.1% |
| 2016 | -44.8% | +1.9% |
| 2017 | -51.4% | +14.9% |
| 2018 | -44.8% | -12.9% |
| 2019 | -48.1% | +7.4% |
| 2020 | -52.2% | +8.5% |
| 2021 | -46.9% | -10.2% |
| 2022 | -49.4% | +5.3% |
| 2023 | -55.4% | +12.1% |
| 2024 | -53.7% | -3.1% |
| 2025 | -54.9% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -37.2% | -45.7% | -26.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | -73.4% | -120.7% | -36.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | -93.4% | -97.7% | -89.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | -61.1% | -69.4% | -55.3% | 3 |
| 2010s | -52.7% | -66.6% | -43.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | -52.1% | -55.4% | -46.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 186 Northern Mariana Islands -48.6% compare
- 187 Micronesia, Federated States of -48.8% compare
- 188 Afghanistan -52.4% compare
- 190 Guam -56.1% compare
- 191 Somalia -69.6% compare
- 192 Timor-Leste -74.3% compare
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Gross capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 13.28 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3123 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$), per capita 340.12 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), annual growth rate 10.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per unit of GDP 5.59 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU), per capita 6,084 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 6.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.3404 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross capital formation (constant 2015 US$), per capita 370.67 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$), annual growth rate 9.07 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Lesotho?
- External balance on goods and services in Lesotho was -54.9% 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 -26.7% in 1960.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -120.7% in 1976.
- How does Lesotho rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Lesotho ranks 189th out of 193 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 25.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
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 as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.