Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) was 106.95 million BoP, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
106.95 million BoP, current US$
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
169th
of 200 countries
All-time high
246.31 million BoP, current US$
in 2017
All-time low
4.14 million BoP, current US$
in 1976
Years of data
51
1975–2025
Primary income payments in Lesotho, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 106.95 million BoP, current US$ for primary income payments in 2025.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary income payments in Lesotho peaked at 246.31 million BoP, current US$ in 2017 and was at its lowest, 4.14 million BoP, current US$, in 1976.
Lesotho ranks 169th of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.46 million BoP, current US$ | — |
| 1976 | 4.14 million BoP, current US$ | -7.2% |
| 1977 | 5.06 million BoP, current US$ | +22.2% |
| 1978 | 5.75 million BoP, current US$ | +13.6% |
| 1979 | 6.06 million BoP, current US$ | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 7.58 million BoP, current US$ | +25.1% |
| 1981 | 9.12 million BoP, current US$ | +20.3% |
| 1982 | 34.15 million BoP, current US$ | +274.6% |
| 1983 | 28.00 million BoP, current US$ | -18.0% |
| 1984 | 26.65 million BoP, current US$ | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 17.94 million BoP, current US$ | -32.7% |
| 1986 | 20.09 million BoP, current US$ | +12.0% |
| 1987 | 26.02 million BoP, current US$ | +29.5% |
| 1988 | 35.13 million BoP, current US$ | +35.0% |
| 1989 | 44.38 million BoP, current US$ | +26.3% |
| 1990 | 53.16 million BoP, current US$ | +19.8% |
| 1991 | 66.91 million BoP, current US$ | +25.9% |
| 1992 | 77.52 million BoP, current US$ | +15.9% |
| 1993 | 77.58 million BoP, current US$ | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 84.42 million BoP, current US$ | +8.8% |
| 1995 | 84.96 million BoP, current US$ | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 88.63 million BoP, current US$ | +4.3% |
| 1997 | 89.30 million BoP, current US$ | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 96.25 million BoP, current US$ | +7.8% |
| 1999 | 41.86 million BoP, current US$ | -56.5% |
| 2000 | 92.63 million BoP, current US$ | +121.3% |
| 2001 | 109.37 million BoP, current US$ | +18.1% |
| 2002 | 109.58 million BoP, current US$ | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 142.82 million BoP, current US$ | +30.3% |
| 2004 | 189.66 million BoP, current US$ | +32.8% |
| 2005 | 45.14 million BoP, current US$ | -76.2% |
| 2006 | 59.34 million BoP, current US$ | +31.5% |
| 2007 | 106.85 million BoP, current US$ | +80.1% |
| 2008 | 99.24 million BoP, current US$ | -7.1% |
| 2009 | 124.81 million BoP, current US$ | +25.8% |
| 2010 | 83.91 million BoP, current US$ | -32.8% |
| 2011 | 196.20 million BoP, current US$ | +133.8% |
| 2012 | 182.49 million BoP, current US$ | -7.0% |
| 2013 | 163.47 million BoP, current US$ | -10.4% |
| 2014 | 155.08 million BoP, current US$ | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 139.00 million BoP, current US$ | -10.4% |
| 2016 | 138.58 million BoP, current US$ | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 246.31 million BoP, current US$ | +77.7% |
| 2018 | 145.97 million BoP, current US$ | -40.7% |
| 2019 | 102.79 million BoP, current US$ | -29.6% |
| 2020 | 79.02 million BoP, current US$ | -23.1% |
| 2021 | 126.19 million BoP, current US$ | +59.7% |
| 2022 | 115.64 million BoP, current US$ | -8.4% |
| 2023 | 115.82 million BoP, current US$ | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 103.21 million BoP, current US$ | -10.9% |
| 2025 | 106.95 million BoP, current US$ | +3.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 106.95 million BoP, current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.37 billion BoP, current US$, 8% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 106.95 million BoP, current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 533.30 million BoP, current US$, 20% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary income payments (BoP, current US$) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +274.6% | 9.12 million BoP, current US$ | 34.15 million BoP, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.09 million BoP, current US$ | 4.14 million BoP, current US$ | 6.06 million BoP, current US$ | 5 |
| 1980s | 24.90 million BoP, current US$ | 7.58 million BoP, current US$ | 44.38 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.06 million BoP, current US$ | 41.86 million BoP, current US$ | 96.25 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 107.94 million BoP, current US$ | 45.14 million BoP, current US$ | 189.66 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 155.38 million BoP, current US$ | 83.91 million BoP, current US$ | 246.31 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 107.80 million BoP, current US$ | 79.02 million BoP, current US$ | 126.19 million BoP, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 166 Seychelles 124.61 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 167 Faroe Islands 116.94 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 168 Grenada 114.73 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 170 Antigua and Barbuda 104.43 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 171 Palestine 101.69 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 172 Cape Verde 101.33 million BoP, current US$ 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 primary income payments in Lesotho?
- Primary income payments in Lesotho was 106.95 million BoP, current US$ in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest primary income payments recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 246.31 million BoP, current US$ in 2017.
- What is the lowest primary income payments recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.14 million BoP, current US$ in 1976.
- How does Lesotho rank for primary income payments?
- Lesotho ranks 169th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary income payments rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. 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 Primary income payments (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Primary income payments refer to employee compensation paid to nonresident workers and investment income (payments on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments).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.