Insurance and financial services in Lesotho
Lesotho: Insurance and financial services was 0.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Insurance and financial services in Lesotho, 1988–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of service exports, BoP.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 0.2% for insurance and financial services in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 103.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insurance and financial services in Lesotho peaked at 5.2% in 1993 and was at its lowest, -2.4%, in 1988.
That places Lesotho 177th out of 190 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.
Insurance and financial services in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of service exports, BoP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -2.4% | — |
| 1989 | -1.4% | -40.3% |
| 1990 | 1.1% | -178.1% |
| 1991 | -0.1% | -111.1% |
| 1992 | -0.1% | -55.1% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | -9640.1% |
| 1994 | 1.9% | -63.6% |
| 1995 | 1.7% | -8.4% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | -99.3% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | +32855.2% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -94.1% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -52.1% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +206.5% |
| 2004 | 0.5% | +33.1% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -75.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -25.3% |
| 2008 | 1.3% | +1315.0% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +110.2% |
| 2010 | 1.3% | -50.5% |
| 2011 | 4.7% | +253.4% |
| 2012 | 4.6% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 0.1% | -96.9% |
| 2014 | 0.1% | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -44.2% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -33.2% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +95.2% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +1.1% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +93.0% |
| 2021 | 0.1% | -31.6% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 0.1% | -9.1% |
| 2024 | 0.2% | +11.1% |
| 2025 | 0.2% | -0.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.2% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.6%, 9% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.1%, 5% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insurance and financial services 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +32855.2% | 0.0% | 4.3% |
| 1993 | +9640.1% | -0.1% | 5.2% |
| 2008 | +1315.0% | 0.1% | 1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -1.9% | -2.4% | -1.4% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.6% | -0.1% | 5.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.1% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.1% | 0.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 174 Seychelles 0.2% compare
- 175 Republic of Moldova 0.2% compare
- 176 Myanmar 0.2% compare
- 178 North Macedonia 0.1% compare
- 179 Iraq 0.1% compare
- 180 Sao Tome and Principe 0.1% compare
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 0 BoP, current US$ (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0 BoP, current US$ per person (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -5.77 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 54.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0022 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -2.44 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4215 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 431.19 includes gold, current US$ per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insurance and financial services in Lesotho?
- Insurance and financial services in Lesotho was 0.2% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest insurance and financial services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 5.2% in 1993.
- What is the lowest insurance and financial services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.4% in 1988.
- How does Lesotho rank for insurance and financial services?
- Lesotho ranks 177th out of 190 countries with data for 2025.
- Is insurance and financial services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 103.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Insurance and financial services (% of service exports, BoP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Insurance and financial services cover various types of insurance provided to nonresidents by resident insurance enterprises and vice versa, and financial intermediary and auxiliary services (except those of insurance enterprises and pension funds) exchanged between residents and nonresidents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are services provided by residents to non-residents.