Imports of goods and services (current US$) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Imports of goods and services (current US$) was 2.69 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Imports of goods and services in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.69 billion current US$ for imports of goods and services in 2025. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.1% on the previous year and up 31.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imports of goods and services in Lesotho peaked at 2.69 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 13.30 million current US$, in 1960.
That places Lesotho 160th out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Imports of goods and services (current US$) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 13.30 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 16.24 million current US$ | +22.1% |
| 1962 | 20.02 million current US$ | +23.3% |
| 1963 | 23.94 million current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1964 | 25.76 million current US$ | +7.6% |
| 1965 | 29.26 million current US$ | +13.6% |
| 1966 | 32.06 million current US$ | +9.6% |
| 1967 | 33.60 million current US$ | +4.8% |
| 1968 | 33.88 million current US$ | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 34.02 million current US$ | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 33.60 million current US$ | -1.2% |
| 1971 | 41.95 million current US$ | +24.8% |
| 1972 | 55.94 million current US$ | +33.4% |
| 1973 | 82.14 million current US$ | +46.8% |
| 1974 | 116.27 million current US$ | +41.6% |
| 1975 | 155.51 million current US$ | +33.8% |
| 1976 | 204.70 million current US$ | +31.6% |
| 1977 | 217.35 million current US$ | +6.2% |
| 1978 | 241.50 million current US$ | +11.1% |
| 1979 | 358.66 million current US$ | +48.5% |
| 1980 | 475.07 million current US$ | +32.5% |
| 1981 | 508.03 million current US$ | +6.9% |
| 2007 | 1.88 billion current US$ | +270.2% |
| 2008 | 1.91 billion current US$ | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 1.99 billion current US$ | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 2.41 billion current US$ | +21.4% |
| 2011 | 2.63 billion current US$ | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 2.69 billion current US$ | +2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.25 billion current US$ | -16.2% |
| 2014 | 2.15 billion current US$ | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 2.05 billion current US$ | -4.8% |
| 2016 | 1.91 billion current US$ | -6.6% |
| 2017 | 2.28 billion current US$ | +19.2% |
| 2018 | 2.42 billion current US$ | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 2.25 billion current US$ | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 1.98 billion current US$ | -12.0% |
| 2021 | 2.24 billion current US$ | +13.1% |
| 2022 | 2.26 billion current US$ | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 2.09 billion current US$ | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 2.46 billion current US$ | +18.0% |
| 2025 | 2.69 billion current US$ | +9.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.69 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 10.07 billion current US$, 27% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.69 billion current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.46 billion current US$, 42% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imports of goods and services (current US$) in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +270.2% | 508.03 million current US$ | 1.88 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.21 million current US$ | 13.30 million current US$ | 34.02 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 150.76 million current US$ | 33.60 million current US$ | 358.66 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 491.55 million current US$ | 475.07 million current US$ | 508.03 million current US$ | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.93 billion current US$ | 1.88 billion current US$ | 1.99 billion current US$ | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.31 billion current US$ | 1.91 billion current US$ | 2.69 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.29 billion current US$ | 1.98 billion current US$ | 2.69 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 157 San Marino 3.14 billion current US$ compare
- 158 French Polynesia 2.92 billion current US$ compare
- 159 Curacao 2.80 billion current US$ compare
- 161 Eswatini 2.61 billion current US$ compare
- 162 New Caledonia 2.45 billion current US$ compare
- 163 Papua New Guinea 2.31 billion current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 57.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0799 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 87.06 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate 50.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0584 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 63.57 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0303 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per capita 33.01 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, SDR, annual growth rate -0.0491 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imports of goods and services in Lesotho?
- Imports of goods and services in Lesotho was 2.69 billion current US$ in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
- What is the highest imports of goods and services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.69 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest imports of goods and services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.30 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for imports of goods and services?
- Lesotho ranks 160th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is imports of goods and services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.2%. 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 Offices (NSOs), published as part of Imports of goods and services (current US$). 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
Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.