Share of imports that come from China in Lesotho
Lesotho: Share of imports that come from China was 6.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Lesotho, 2001–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 6.6% for share of imports that come from china in 2025.
The figure is up 12.2% on the previous year and up 27.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Lesotho peaked at 16.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 2005.
That places Lesotho 174th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 0.5% | — |
| 2002 | 4.3% | +792.8% |
| 2003 | 2.7% | -36.4% |
| 2004 | 4.4% | +61.9% |
| 2005 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0% | +662.9% |
| 2007 | 0.1% | +2632.0% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | +191.5% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -19.0% |
| 2010 | 2.8% | +2054.2% |
| 2011 | 0.4% | -84.2% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | +578.3% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | +23.0% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | -20.7% |
| 2015 | 5.2% | +75.6% |
| 2016 | 5.2% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 16.7% | +223.9% |
| 2018 | 4.4% | -73.4% |
| 2019 | 3.9% | -13.2% |
| 2020 | 8.4% | +117.1% |
| 2021 | 8.6% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 5.0% | -41.4% |
| 2023 | 7.7% | +53.4% |
| 2024 | 5.9% | -23.6% |
| 2025 | 6.6% | +12.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 6.6% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 33% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 6.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.0%, 33% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +2632.0% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 2010 | +2054.2% | 0.1% | 2.8% |
| 2002 | +792.8% | 0.5% | 4.3% |
| 2006 | +662.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 2012 | +578.3% | 0.4% | 3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.4% | 0.0% | 4.4% | 9 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 0.4% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.0% | 5.0% | 8.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 171 Eswatini 6.9% compare
- 172 Faroe Islands 6.7% compare
- 173 Curacao 6.6% compare
- 175 France 6.6% compare
- 176 Cape Verde 6.2% compare
- 177 Seychelles 6.1% 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 share of imports that come from china in Lesotho?
- Share of imports that come from china in Lesotho was 6.6% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 16.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 2005.
- How does Lesotho rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Lesotho ranks 174th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.