Trade in services (% of GDP) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Trade in services (% of GDP) was 19.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Trade in services in Lesotho, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in services in Lesotho stood at 19.0%.
The figure is up 3.0% on the previous year and up 33.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in services in Lesotho peaked at 99.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2015.
That places Lesotho 111th out of 200 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Trade in services (% of GDP) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 20.8% | — |
| 1976 | 22.3% | +7.1% |
| 1977 | 20.2% | -9.5% |
| 1978 | 17.5% | -13.1% |
| 1979 | 18.6% | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 19.1% | +2.9% |
| 1981 | 20.6% | +7.7% |
| 1982 | 97.8% | +374.6% |
| 1983 | 95.8% | -2.0% |
| 1984 | 97.4% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 91.6% | -5.9% |
| 1986 | 84.1% | -8.2% |
| 1987 | 99.2% | +18.0% |
| 1988 | 81.0% | -18.3% |
| 1989 | 77.5% | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 73.4% | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 63.2% | -14.0% |
| 1992 | 58.0% | -8.1% |
| 1993 | 55.5% | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 55.6% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 49.2% | -11.5% |
| 1996 | 44.5% | -9.6% |
| 1997 | 41.7% | -6.2% |
| 1998 | 34.2% | -17.9% |
| 1999 | 29.7% | -13.1% |
| 2000 | 30.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 29.4% | -3.7% |
| 2002 | 30.8% | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 29.9% | -2.7% |
| 2004 | 26.5% | -11.4% |
| 2005 | 23.9% | -9.8% |
| 2006 | 23.1% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 24.8% | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 25.6% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 27.2% | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 22.1% | -18.9% |
| 2011 | 20.7% | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 19.9% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 17.0% | -14.8% |
| 2014 | 15.4% | -9.3% |
| 2015 | 14.2% | -7.6% |
| 2016 | 20.8% | +46.4% |
| 2017 | 20.7% | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 20.4% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 20.3% | -0.7% |
| 2020 | 19.6% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 17.9% | -8.6% |
| 2022 | 19.8% | +10.6% |
| 2023 | 20.2% | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 18.4% | -9.0% |
| 2025 | 19.0% | +3.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 19.0% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 13.8%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 19.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.7%, 1.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Trade in services (% of GDP) 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 | +374.6% | 20.6% | 97.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 19.9% | 17.5% | 22.3% | 5 |
| 1980s | 76.4% | 19.1% | 99.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 50.5% | 29.7% | 73.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.2% | 23.1% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.1% | 14.2% | 22.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 17.9% | 20.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More economy & growth data for Lesotho
- 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)
- IMF holdings of currency, SDR, annual growth rate -0.0491 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in services in Lesotho?
- Trade in services in Lesotho was 19.0% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest trade in services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 99.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest trade in services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2015.
- How does Lesotho rank for trade in services?
- Lesotho ranks 111th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade in services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.6%. 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 Trade in services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total trade in services includes services provided by residents to non-residents plus services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.