Lesotho: Commercial service exports (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Lesotho's commercial service exports (current US$) fell 20.3% on 2024 (from US$23.43 million to US$18.67 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +4.5% and a typical year strayed about 29.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 72.4% in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 58.4% in 2020. 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$2.97 million a year. A straight line explains 48% 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 135th highest value of the 136 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

• São Tomé and Principe — 132nd of 136: US$105.01 million
• Tonga — 133rd of 136: US$102.8 million
• Burundi — 134th of 136: US$77.22 million
• Kiribati — 136th of 136: US$5.98 million

What this measures

Commercial service exports are total service exports minus exports of government services not included elsewhere. Exports of services are services provided by residents to non-residents. 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.

Limitations: Balance of payments statistics, the main source of information on international trade in services, have many weaknesses. Disaggregation of important components may be limited and varies considerably across countries. There are inconsistencies in the methods used to report items. And the recording of major flows as net items is common (for example, insurance transactions are often recorded as premiums less claims). These factors contribute to a downward bias in the value of the service trade reported in the balance of payments. Efforts are being made to improve the coverage, quality, and consistency of these data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 51 values

Commercial service exports (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$116.5 million (2025)
• Benin — US$451.05 million (2023)
• Botswana — US$1.05 billion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$532.84 million (2024)
• Burundi — US$77.22 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$916.62 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$1.74 billion (2024)
• Comoros — US$110.18 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$529.41 million (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$225.02 million (2021)

More private sector & trade data for Lesotho

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 102.89% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$1.88 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$773 million (2025)
• Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service imports) — 2.34% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 8.72% (2025)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$460.39 million (2025)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 11.28% (2025)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 77.67% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lesotho's commercial service exports (current US$)?

US$18.67 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 97.26% from US$9.47 million in 1975 (1.37% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$56.68 million in 2016 and the lowest US$7.32 million in 1985.

How does Lesotho rank?

135th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in commercial service exports (current US$) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2025, Lesotho's commercial service exports (current US$) fell 20.3% on 2024 (from US$23.43 million to US$18.67 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +4.5% and a typical year strayed about 29.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 TX.VAL.SERV.CD.WT, 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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