Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) was 686.31 million BoP, current US$ in 2025. ▲ Rising
Primary income receipts in Lesotho, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in BoP, current US$.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 686.31 million BoP, current US$ for primary income receipts in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 11.6% on the previous year and up 58.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary income receipts in Lesotho peaked at 1.16 billion BoP, current US$ in 1994 and was at its lowest, 126.98 million BoP, current US$, in 1975.
Lesotho ranks 105th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.
Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | BoP, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 126.98 million BoP, current US$ | — |
| 1976 | 142.72 million BoP, current US$ | +12.4% |
| 1977 | 170.66 million BoP, current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1978 | 183.54 million BoP, current US$ | +7.5% |
| 1979 | 219.71 million BoP, current US$ | +19.7% |
| 1980 | 273.10 million BoP, current US$ | +24.3% |
| 1981 | 301.85 million BoP, current US$ | +10.5% |
| 1982 | 812.25 million BoP, current US$ | +169.1% |
| 1983 | 889.01 million BoP, current US$ | +9.5% |
| 1984 | 777.56 million BoP, current US$ | -12.5% |
| 1985 | 591.44 million BoP, current US$ | -23.9% |
| 1986 | 620.86 million BoP, current US$ | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 949.57 million BoP, current US$ | +52.9% |
| 1988 | 870.30 million BoP, current US$ | -8.3% |
| 1989 | 881.77 million BoP, current US$ | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 1.01 billion BoP, current US$ | +14.5% |
| 1991 | 1.04 billion BoP, current US$ | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 1.14 billion BoP, current US$ | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 1.06 billion BoP, current US$ | -6.9% |
| 1994 | 1.16 billion BoP, current US$ | +9.6% |
| 1995 | 1.14 billion BoP, current US$ | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 987.56 million BoP, current US$ | -13.2% |
| 1997 | 934.71 million BoP, current US$ | -5.4% |
| 1998 | 689.13 million BoP, current US$ | -26.3% |
| 1999 | 615.88 million BoP, current US$ | -10.6% |
| 2000 | 555.16 million BoP, current US$ | -9.9% |
| 2001 | 465.92 million BoP, current US$ | -16.1% |
| 2002 | 442.96 million BoP, current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 641.30 million BoP, current US$ | +44.8% |
| 2004 | 758.72 million BoP, current US$ | +18.3% |
| 2005 | 723.11 million BoP, current US$ | -4.7% |
| 2006 | 744.78 million BoP, current US$ | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 795.52 million BoP, current US$ | +6.8% |
| 2008 | 748.50 million BoP, current US$ | -5.9% |
| 2009 | 698.01 million BoP, current US$ | -6.7% |
| 2010 | 743.91 million BoP, current US$ | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 727.09 million BoP, current US$ | -2.3% |
| 2012 | 618.23 million BoP, current US$ | -15.0% |
| 2013 | 540.22 million BoP, current US$ | -12.6% |
| 2014 | 485.78 million BoP, current US$ | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 432.06 million BoP, current US$ | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 532.73 million BoP, current US$ | +23.3% |
| 2017 | 608.82 million BoP, current US$ | +14.3% |
| 2018 | 632.37 million BoP, current US$ | +3.9% |
| 2019 | 587.02 million BoP, current US$ | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 513.21 million BoP, current US$ | -12.6% |
| 2021 | 535.05 million BoP, current US$ | +4.3% |
| 2022 | 597.81 million BoP, current US$ | +11.7% |
| 2023 | 577.35 million BoP, current US$ | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 614.85 million BoP, current US$ | +6.5% |
| 2025 | 686.31 million BoP, current US$ | +11.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 686.31 million BoP, current US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 401.38 million BoP, current US$, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 686.31 million BoP, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 152.65 million BoP, current US$, 4.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary income receipts (BoP, current US$) 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 | +169.1% | 301.85 million BoP, current US$ | 812.25 million BoP, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 168.72 million BoP, current US$ | 126.98 million BoP, current US$ | 219.71 million BoP, current US$ | 5 |
| 1980s | 696.77 million BoP, current US$ | 273.10 million BoP, current US$ | 949.57 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 978.69 million BoP, current US$ | 615.88 million BoP, current US$ | 1.16 billion BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 657.40 million BoP, current US$ | 442.96 million BoP, current US$ | 795.52 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 590.82 million BoP, current US$ | 432.06 million BoP, current US$ | 743.91 million BoP, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 587.43 million BoP, current US$ | 513.21 million BoP, current US$ | 686.31 million BoP, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 102 Senegal 701.34 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 103 Venezuela 695.00 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 104 Namibia 687.89 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 106 Cambodia 681.05 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 107 New Caledonia 675.89 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 108 Kosovo 663.52 million BoP, current US$ compare
- 108 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 663.52 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 receipts in Lesotho?
- Primary income receipts in Lesotho was 686.31 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 receipts recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.16 billion BoP, current US$ in 1994.
- What is the lowest primary income receipts recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 126.98 million BoP, current US$ in 1975.
- How does Lesotho rank for primary income receipts?
- Lesotho ranks 105th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is primary income receipts rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 receipts (BoP, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Primary income receipts refer to employee compensation paid to resident workers working abroad and investment income (receipts on direct investment, portfolio investment, other investments, and receipts on reserve assets). 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.