Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) was 125.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
125.3%
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
13th
of 220 countries
All-time high
152.7%
in 2007
All-time low
108.3%
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 125.3% for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in 2024.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Lesotho peaked at 152.7% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 108.3%, in 2020.
That places Lesotho 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 116.0% | — |
| 2001 | 123.9% | +6.8% |
| 2002 | 151.2% | +22.0% |
| 2003 | 137.9% | -8.8% |
| 2004 | 142.1% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 122.5% | -13.8% |
| 2006 | 123.2% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 152.7% | +23.9% |
| 2008 | 151.9% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 148.4% | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 142.2% | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 142.4% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 144.2% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 127.7% | -11.5% |
| 2014 | 124.2% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 124.0% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 129.7% | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 134.1% | +3.4% |
| 2018 | 133.2% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 111.0% | -16.7% |
| 2020 | 108.3% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 114.4% | +5.6% |
| 2022 | 116.8% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 120.4% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 125.3% | +4.1% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 125.3% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 56.4%, 2.2× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 125.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 43.1%, 2.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 137.0% | 116.0% | 152.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 131.3% | 111.0% | 144.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 117.0% | 108.3% | 125.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 10 Czechia 143.0% compare
- 11 Netherlands (Kingdom of the) 142.8% compare
- 12 Hungary 137.4% compare
- 14 Brunei Darussalam 120.8% compare
- 14 Brunei 120.8% compare
- 16 North Macedonia 120.3% compare
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -71.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Lesotho?
- Merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp in Lesotho was 125.3% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 152.7% in 2007.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 108.3% in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp?
- Lesotho ranks 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is merchandise trade as a proportion of gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Merchandise trade as a proportion of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).