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Government spending as share of GDP in Lesotho

Lesotho: Government spending as share of GDP was 53.5% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
53.5%
Change on year
up 8.4%
World rank
10th
of 151 countries
All-time high
66.4%
in 2009
All-time low
26.8%
in 1984
Years of data
43
1982–2024

Government spending as share of GDP in Lesotho, 1982–2024

02040601982200320241982: 29.9 % of GDP1983: 27.2 % of GDP1984: 26.8 % of GDP1985: 32.8 % of GDP1986: 33.2 % of GDP1987: 40.3 % of GDP1988: 35.3 % of GDP1989: 35.8 % of GDP1990: 32.9 % of GDP1991: 31.3 % of GDP1992: 35.3 % of GDP1993: 36 % of GDP1994: 40.2 % of GDP1995: 42.1 % of GDP1996: 41.5 % of GDP1997: 44.6 % of GDP1998: 51.4 % of GDP1999: 50.8 % of GDP2000: 39.3 % of GDP2001: 41.4 % of GDP2002: 41.2 % of GDP2003: 39.8 % of GDP2004: 36.3 % of GDP2005: 37.6 % of GDP2006: 43.2 % of GDP2007: 48.1 % of GDP2008: 54.1 % of GDP2009: 66.4 % of GDP2010: 55.3 % of GDP2011: 60.2 % of GDP2012: 58.1 % of GDP2013: 58.4 % of GDP2014: 50.1 % of GDP2015: 51.7 % of GDP2016: 54.1 % of GDP2017: 50.4 % of GDP2018: 51.9 % of GDP2019: 53.6 % of GDP2020: 54.4 % of GDP2021: 53.8 % of GDP2022: 50.8 % of GDP2023: 49.4 % of GDP2024: 53.5 % of GDP

Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

Lesotho recorded 53.5% for government spending as share of gdp in 2024.

The figure is up 8.4% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government spending as share of gdp in Lesotho peaked at 66.4% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 26.8%, in 1984.

Lesotho ranks 10th of 151 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 32.7% 26.8% 40.3% 8
1990s 40.6% 31.3% 51.4% 10
2000s 44.7% 36.3% 66.4% 10
2010s 54.4% 50.1% 60.2% 10
2020s 52.4% 49.4% 54.4% 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 7 Micronesia (country) 57.0% compare
  2. 8 Austria 56.0% compare
  3. 9 Belgium 54.5% compare
  4. 11 Italy 50.6% compare
  5. 12 Kuwait 50.4% compare
  6. 13 Germany 49.4% compare

See the full ranking of 151 places →

More economy & growth data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is government spending as share of gdp in Lesotho?
Government spending as share of gdp in Lesotho was 53.5% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 66.4% in 2009.
What is the lowest government spending as share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 26.8% in 1984.
How does Lesotho rank for government spending as share of gdp?
Lesotho ranks 10th out of 151 countries with data for 2024.
Is government spending as share of gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Government spending as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
International Monetary Fund (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
151 places, 9,265 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

The sum of all the money spent by the government on goods and services, as a percentage of GDP. It includes interest paid on government debt.