Military spending as a share of GDP in Lesotho
Lesotho: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military spending as a share of GDP in Lesotho, 1976–2025
Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Lesotho is 1.6%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Lesotho peaked at 4.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1977.
Lesotho ranks 90th of 166 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1.6% | — |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -7.3% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +23.0% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | +70.6% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | +31.6% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 4.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 4.8% | +12.2% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | -13.6% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | -19.4% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | +27.8% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | -17.6% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | +10.7% |
| 1995 | 3.2% | +18.3% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -12.9% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +24.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -16.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -10.0% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | +14.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -34.6% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +75.9% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +16.2% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -28.7% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 4 |
| 1980s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.4399 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.2655 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 289.13 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), annual 0.4399 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 1.86 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant LCU), per 2,022 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), annual growth rate 16.54 % change on previous year (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.556 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Services, value added (current US$), per capita 605.51 current US$ per person (2025)
- Services, value added (current LCU), annual growth rate 13.74 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Lesotho?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Lesotho was 1.6% in 2025, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1977.
- How does Lesotho rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Lesotho ranks 90th out of 166 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total military expenditure divided by gross domestic product, expressed as a percentage.