Lesotho: Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Lesotho's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) rose US$58,607 on 2024 (from US$2.34 million to US$2.4 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$66,915 and a typical year strayed about US$1.08 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$4.51 million in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was US$1.65 million in 2006. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$98,576 a year. A straight line explains 74% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2025, Lesotho had the 112th highest value of the 117 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Lesotho in the 2025 ranking

• St. Kitts and Nevis — 109th of 117: US$3.94 million
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 110th of 117: US$3.77 million
• Cabo Verde — 111th of 117: US$2.46 million
• Burundi — 113th of 117: US$588,733
• Samoa — 114th of 117: US$376,668
• São Tomé and Principe — 115th of 117: US$259,968

What this measures

Charges for the use of proprietary rights (such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, industrial processes and designs including trade secrets, franchises), and charges for licenses to reproduce or distribute (or both) intellectual property embodied in produced originals or prototypes (such as copyrights on books and manuscripts, computer software, cinematographic works, and sound recordings) and related rights (such as for live performances and television, cable, or satellite broadcast). 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 37 values

Charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$106.74 million (2025)
• Benin — US$401,153 (2020)
• Botswana — US$75.39 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$387,343 (2024)
• Burundi — US$588,733 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$2.46 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$62.28 million (2024)
• Comoros — US$2.36 million (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More economic policy & debt data for Lesotho

• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$805.47 million (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 7.4 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$1.99 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 21.89 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$840.08 (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.81 billion (2025)
• Final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 29.29 billion (2025)
• Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lesotho's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$)?

US$2.4 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1988?

It is up 259.53% from US$667,960 in 1988 (3.52% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$5.04 million in 2011 and the lowest −US$144,977 in 1999.

How does Lesotho rank?

112th highest of 117 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2025, Lesotho's charges for the use of intellectual property, payments (BoP, current US$) rose US$58,607 on 2024 (from US$2.34 million to US$2.4 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$66,915 and a typical year strayed about US$1.08 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.ROYL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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