Paramount chief MOSHOESHOE I consolidated what would become Basutoland in the early 19th century and made himself king in 1822. Continuing encroachments by Dutch settlers from the neighboring Orange Free State caused the king to enter into an 1868 agreement with the UK by which Basutoland became a British protectorate, and after 1884, a crown colony. Upon independence in 1966, the country was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Basotho National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE II was exiled in 1990 but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections in 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country’s history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month. MOSISILI returned to power in snap elections in February 2015 after the collapse of THABANE’s coalition government and an alleged attempted military coup. In June 2017, THABANE returned to become prime minister but stepped down in May 2020 after being implicated in his estranged wife’s murder. He was succeeded by Moseketsi MAJORO. In October 2022, Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE was inaugurated as prime minister and head of a three-party coalition featuring his Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), then Monyane MOLELEKI-led Alliance of Democrats (AD), and the Selibe MOCHOBOROANE-led Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
border countries (1): South Africa 1,106 km
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
mean elevation: 2,161 m
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)
other: 22.4% (2018 est.)
2,210,646 (2023 est.)
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Sotho 99.7%, other 0.3% (includes Kwena, Nguni (Hlubi and Phuthi), Zulu)
Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Phuthi, Xhosa, Zulu
Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)
Lesotho faces great socioeconomic challenges. Almost half of its population lives below the poverty line as of 2017, and the country’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second highest in the world as of 2021. In addition, Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked country with little arable land, leaving its population vulnerable to food shortages and reliant on remittances. Lesotho’s persistently high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been increasing during the last decade, according to the last two Demographic and Health Surveys. Despite these significant shortcomings, Lesotho has made good progress in education; it is on-track to achieve universal primary education and has one of the highest adult literacy rates in Africa.Lesotho’s migration history is linked to its unique geography; it is surrounded by South Africa with which it shares linguistic and cultural traits. Lesotho at one time had more of its workforce employed outside its borders than any other country. Today remittances equal about 20% of its GDP. With few job options at home, a high rate of poverty, and higher wages available across the border, labor migration to South Africa replaced agriculture as the prevailing Basotho source of income decades ago. The majority of Basotho migrants were single men contracted to work as gold miners in South Africa. However, migration trends changed in the 1990s, and fewer men found mining jobs in South Africa because of declining gold prices, stricter immigration policies, and a preference for South African workers.Although men still dominate cross-border labor migration, more women are working in South Africa, mostly as domestics, because they are widows or their husbands are unemployed. Internal rural-urban flows have also become more frequent, with more women migrating within the country to take up jobs in the garment industry or moving to care for loved ones with HIV/AIDS. Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.
0-14 years: 32.4% (male 360,327/female 355,863)
15-64 years: 62.21% (male 688,373/female 686,911)
65 years and over: 5.39% (2023 est.) (male 44,313/female 74,859)
total dependency ratio: 62.1
youth dependency ratio: 55.3
elderly dependency ratio: 6.8
potential support ratio: 14.7 (2021 est.)
total: 23.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 23.2 years
female: 24.2 years
0.76% (2023 est.)
23 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people as shown in this
urban population: 30.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
20.9 years (2014 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
566 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 52.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.4 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 59.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 57.9 years
female: 62 years
2.88 children born/woman (2023 est.)
1.42 (2023 est.)
64.9% (2018)
improved: urban: 95.7% of population
rural: 77.2% of population
total: 82.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 4.3% of population
rural: 22.8% of population
total: 17.4% of population (2020 est.)
11.8% of GDP (2020)
0.47 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
improved: urban: 93.6% of population
rural: 62.4% of population
total: 71.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 6.4% of population
rural: 37.6% of population
total: 28.6% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
16.6% (2016)
total: 3.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 24.3% (2020 est.)
male: 43.1% (2020 est.)
female: 5.4% (2020 est.)
10.5% (2018)
53.7% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 1%
women married by age 18: 16.4%
men married by age 18: 1.9% (2018 est.)
8.7% of GDP (2021 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81%
male: 72.9%
female: 88.8% (2021)
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2017)
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
agricultural land: 76.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)
other: 22.4% (2018 est.)
urban population: 30.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
severe localized food insecurity: due to poor harvests and increased food prices - according to the latest national food security assessment, 22% of the rural population are expected to face acute food insecurity between October 2022 and March 2023, compared to 15% between July and September 2022; the forecasted proportion translates into 320,000 people in rural areas, while an additional 201,000 people in urban areas are foreseen to also need assistance; the foreseen increase of acute food insecurity levels is primarily due to the reduced harvest, high food prices in basic food and non‑food commodities and a slow recovery of households’ income reflecting a downturn in economic growth; harvesting of the 2022 main-season summer cereal crops, mostly maize and sorghum, is complete; production of maize, the main cereal staple, is about one‑third of the average, while the sorghum output is almost negligible; the poor harvest was primarily due to torrential rainfalls during January and February 2022, which caused localized flooding and resulted in crop losses (2022)
3.34% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 17.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 2.51 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 2.56 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 73,457 tons (2006 est.)
Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 sq km)
municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 3.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
3.02 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
lower middle-income economy surrounded by South Africa; environmentally fragile and politically unstable; key infrastructure and renewable energy investments; dire poverty; urban job and income losses due to COVID-19; systemic corruption
$5.236 billion (2021 est.)
$5.167 billion (2020 est.)
$5.638 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
1.35% (2021 est.)
-8.36% (2020 est.)
0.93% (2019 est.)
$2,300 (2021 est.)
$2,300 (2020 est.)
$2,500 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$2.462 billion (2019 est.)
6.05% (2021 est.)
4.98% (2020 est.)
5.19% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: B (2019)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 5.8% (2016 est.)
industry: 39.2% (2016 est.)
services: 54.9% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 69.2% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 26.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 31.4% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -13.4% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 40.8% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -54.4% (2017 est.)
milk, potatoes, maize, vegetables, fruit, beef, game meat, mutton, beans, wool
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism
8.52% (2021 est.)
955,600 (2021 est.)
24.6% (2021 est.)
24.56% (2020 est.)
22.44% (2019 est.)
total: 37.4% (2021 est.)
male: 32.8% NA
female: 43.8% NA
49.7% (2017 est.)
44.9 (2017 est.)
56 (1986-87)
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2003)
revenues: $1.054 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $1.21 billion (2020 est.)
-6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
33.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
18.47% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
1 April - 31 March
-$90.886 million (2021 est.)
-$18.211 million (2020 est.)
-$72.308 million (2019 est.)
$1.08 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$902.123 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.093 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
United States 29%, Belgium 26%, South Africa 25%, Switzerland 6% (2019)
diamonds, clothing and apparel, wool, low-voltage protection equipment, wheat flours (2021)
$2.221 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.98 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.23 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
South Africa 85%, China 5% (2019)
refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, poultry meats (2019)
$774.095 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$728.528 million (31 December 2018 est.)
$657.668 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$868 million (2019 est.)
$834 million (2018 est.)
maloti (LSL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
14.779 (2021 est.)
16.459 (2020 est.)
14.448 (2019 est.)
13.234 (2018 est.)
13.324 (2017 est.)
population without electricity: 1 million (2020)
electrification - total population: 50.3% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 80.6% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 37.7% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 74,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 912.8 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 541.7 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 129.9 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 99.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 5,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
5,118 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
7.823 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
7P
24 (2021)
3
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
21
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
total: 5,940 km (2011)
paved: 1,069 km (2011)
unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)
manyapis