Value of exported goods as a share of GDP in Lesotho
Lesotho: Value of exported goods as a share of GDP was 42.4% in 2014. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2014)
42.4%
Change on year
up 11.0%
World rank
52nd
of 193 countries
All-time high
57.4%
in 2004
All-time low
5.5%
in 1971
Years of data
55
1960–2014
Value of exported goods as a share of GDP in Lesotho, 1960–2014
Source: Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 42.4% for value of exported goods as a share of gdp in 2014.
The figure is up 11.0% on the previous year and down 26.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of exported goods as a share of gdp in Lesotho peaked at 57.4% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 5.5%, in 1971.
That places Lesotho 52nd out of 193 countries with data for 2014, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Value of exported goods as a share of GDP in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.6% | — |
| 1961 | 11.2% | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 11.9% | +6.6% |
| 1963 | 10.6% | -11.0% |
| 1964 | 11.6% | +8.7% |
| 1965 | 12.0% | +3.8% |
| 1966 | 10.8% | -9.7% |
| 1967 | 9.8% | -9.1% |
| 1968 | 7.7% | -21.8% |
| 1969 | 10.4% | +34.8% |
| 1970 | 8.6% | -16.9% |
| 1971 | 5.5% | -36.2% |
| 1972 | 9.8% | +77.9% |
| 1973 | 10.5% | +6.6% |
| 1974 | 9.6% | -8.4% |
| 1975 | 8.2% | -14.2% |
| 1976 | 11.4% | +38.9% |
| 1977 | 7.3% | -36.4% |
| 1978 | 11.9% | +64.6% |
| 1979 | 15.5% | +30.1% |
| 1980 | 13.4% | -13.5% |
| 1981 | 11.5% | -14.3% |
| 1982 | 11.3% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 8.7% | -22.9% |
| 1984 | 9.6% | +9.7% |
| 1985 | 9.3% | -3.0% |
| 1986 | 8.9% | -3.7% |
| 1987 | 12.7% | +42.2% |
| 1988 | 14.9% | +17.0% |
| 1989 | 14.6% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | -22.1% |
| 1991 | 11.0% | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 15.1% | +37.4% |
| 1993 | 18.4% | +21.8% |
| 1994 | 18.9% | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 18.6% | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 22.9% | +23.1% |
| 1997 | 22.8% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 23.7% | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 21.5% | -9.4% |
| 2000 | 28.5% | +32.9% |
| 2001 | 39.6% | +39.0% |
| 2002 | 54.5% | +37.5% |
| 2003 | 49.1% | -10.0% |
| 2004 | 57.4% | +16.9% |
| 2005 | 47.5% | -17.1% |
| 2006 | 50.3% | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 51.9% | +3.3% |
| 2008 | 54.2% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 42.9% | -20.9% |
| 2010 | 40.1% | -6.5% |
| 2011 | 46.5% | +15.8% |
| 2012 | 40.8% | -12.2% |
| 2013 | 38.2% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 42.4% | +11.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 42.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 1.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 42.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 21.7%, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.8% | 7.7% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.8% | 5.5% | 15.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.5% | 8.7% | 14.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.4% | 11.0% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.6% | 28.5% | 57.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.6% | 38.2% | 46.5% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 49 Mongolia 43.4% compare
- 50 Sierra Leone 43.4% compare
- 51 Switzerland 42.5% compare
- 53 South Korea 41.9% compare
- 54 Austria 41.3% compare
- 55 Bahamas 40.5% 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 value of exported goods as a share of gdp in Lesotho?
- Value of exported goods as a share of gdp in Lesotho was 42.4% in 2014, according to Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of exported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 57.4% in 2004.
- What is the lowest value of exported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.5% in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank for value of exported goods as a share of gdp?
- Lesotho ranks 52nd out of 193 countries with data for 2014.
- Is value of exported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Fouquin and Hugot (2016) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of exported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total value of merchandise exports divided by gross domestic product (GDP), expressed as a percentage.