Total factor productivity in Lesotho
Lesotho: Total factor productivity was 0.9983 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
0.9983
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
50th
of 120 countries
All-time high
1.25
in 2012
All-time low
0.649
in 1986
Years of data
54
1970–2023
Total factor productivity in Lesotho, 1970–2023
Source: Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, total factor productivity in Lesotho stood at 0.9983.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and down 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total factor productivity in Lesotho peaked at 1.25 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 0.649, in 1986.
Lesotho ranks 50th of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.
Total factor productivity in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.8678 | — |
| 1971 | 0.7603 | -12.4% |
| 1972 | 0.8691 | +14.3% |
| 1973 | 1.04 | +19.5% |
| 1974 | 1.06 | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 0.931 | -12.4% |
| 1976 | 0.9991 | +7.3% |
| 1977 | 1.06 | +5.9% |
| 1978 | 1.16 | +10.1% |
| 1979 | 0.9407 | -19.2% |
| 1980 | 0.8468 | -10.0% |
| 1981 | 0.7964 | -6.0% |
| 1982 | 0.7699 | -3.3% |
| 1983 | 0.6737 | -12.5% |
| 1984 | 0.651 | -3.4% |
| 1985 | 0.6646 | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.649 | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 0.6808 | +4.9% |
| 1988 | 0.7425 | +9.1% |
| 1989 | 0.7908 | +6.5% |
| 1990 | 0.8355 | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 0.8576 | +2.7% |
| 1992 | 0.8836 | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 0.9102 | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 0.932 | +2.4% |
| 1995 | 0.962 | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.04 | +8.4% |
| 1997 | 1.06 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 0.959 | -9.8% |
| 1999 | 0.9466 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9594 | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.9682 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 0.9431 | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 0.9552 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.9502 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 0.9489 | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 0.982 | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.12 | +13.6% |
| 2008 | 1.16 | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 1.14 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 1.2 | +4.7% |
| 2011 | 1.22 | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 1.25 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 1.23 | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 1.2 | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 1.19 | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.12 | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 1.12 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.07 | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 1.06 | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 0.9901 | -6.4% |
| 2021 | 1 | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.9917 | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 0.9983 | +0.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.9983 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.9979, 1.0× the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.9983 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.983, 1.0× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.9692 | 0.7603 | 1.16 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.7265 | 0.649 | 0.8468 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.9393 | 0.8355 | 1.06 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.01 | 0.9431 | 1.16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.17 | 1.06 | 1.25 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.995 | 0.9901 | 1 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 0 BoP, current US$ (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0 BoP, current US$ per person (1989)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled -5.77 million BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 54.09 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit -0.0022 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita -2.44 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 18 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4215 includes gold, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), per capita 431.19 includes gold, current US$ per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total factor productivity in Lesotho?
- Total factor productivity in Lesotho was 0.9983 in 2023, according to Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total factor productivity recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 in 2012.
- What is the lowest total factor productivity recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.649 in 1986.
- How does Lesotho rank for total factor productivity?
- Lesotho ranks 50th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is total factor productivity rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Feenstra et al. – Penn World Table (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Total factor productivity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This is the level of total factor productivity, relative to each country's value in 2021 (which is set to 1). This data is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.