External debt as a share of gni in Lesotho
Lesotho: External debt as a share of gni was 68.92 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
68.92
Change on year
up 7.7%
World rank
27th
of 118 countries
All-time high
71.16
in 2020
All-time low
26.34
in 2011
Years of data
24
2000–2023
External debt as a share of gni in Lesotho, 2000–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, external debt as a share of gni in Lesotho stood at 68.92.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.7% on the previous year and up 102.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt as a share of gni in Lesotho peaked at 71.16 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 26.34, in 2011.
That places Lesotho 27th out of 118 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
External debt as a share of gni in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 68.08 | — |
| 2001 | 57.3 | -15.8% |
| 2002 | 63.44 | +10.7% |
| 2003 | 42.65 | -32.8% |
| 2004 | 37.31 | -12.5% |
| 2005 | 30.52 | -18.2% |
| 2006 | 29.31 | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 29.24 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 29.26 | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 33.43 | +14.3% |
| 2010 | 27.44 | -17.9% |
| 2011 | 26.34 | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 31.26 | +18.7% |
| 2013 | 34.02 | +8.8% |
| 2014 | 33.54 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 36.1 | +7.6% |
| 2016 | 56.57 | +56.7% |
| 2017 | 57.41 | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 48.09 | -16.2% |
| 2019 | 55.51 | +15.4% |
| 2020 | 71.16 | +28.2% |
| 2021 | 65.15 | -8.4% |
| 2022 | 64 | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 68.92 | +7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 42.05 | 29.24 | 68.08 | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.63 | 26.34 | 57.41 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.31 | 64 | 71.16 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 24 Kyrgyzstan 73.33 compare
- 25 El Salvador 71.35 compare
- 26 Kazakhstan 68.99 compare
- 28 Maldives 68.73 compare
- 29 Armenia 67.59 compare
- 30 Sao Tome and Principe 66.25 compare
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Net primary income (Net income from abroad) (current LCU), annual 10.07 % change on previous year (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1275 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current US$), per capita 138.87 current US$ per person (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current LCU), annual growth rate -3.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current LCU), per unit of GDP 2.28 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Taxes less subsidies on products (current LCU), per capita 2,484 current LCU per person (2025)
- Special drawing rights per domestic currency (End-of-period (EoP)) 0.044 (2025)
- Domestic currency per Special drawing rights (End-of-period (EoP)) 22.74 (2025)
- Domestic currency per US dollar (End-of-period (EoP)) 16.61 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt as a share of gni in Lesotho?
- External debt as a share of gni in Lesotho was 68.92 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest external debt as a share of gni recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 71.16 in 2020.
- What is the lowest external debt as a share of gni recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.34 in 2011.
- How does Lesotho rank for external debt as a share of gni?
- Lesotho ranks 27th out of 118 countries with data for 2023.
- Is external debt as a share of gni rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 102.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of External debt as a share of gni. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).