Lesotho's debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) was US$110.04 million in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 150.69% from US$43.89 million in 2014 (9.63% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | US$110.04 million | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | US$75.49 million | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | US$43.89 million | 2014 |
| Highest | US$130.56 million | 2023 |
| Lowest | US$385,138 | 1971 |
| Average since 2015 | US$81.34 million | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | US$507,700 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Lesotho's debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) fell 15.7% on 2023 (from US$130.56 million to US$110.04 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +9.2% and a typical year strayed about 31.6% 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 138.7% in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 61.9% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$7.26 million a year. A straight line explains 78% 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 2024, Lesotho had the 102nd highest value of the 120 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | US$110.04 million | 2024 |
| Lower middle income | US$313.35 billion | 2024 |
Closest to Lesotho in the 2024 ranking
- Yemen, Rep. — 98th of 120: US$138.97 million
- Liberia — 99th of 120: US$138.27 million
- Belize — 100th of 120: US$127.49 million
- St. Lucia — 102nd of 120: US$78.64 million
- Gambia, The — 103rd of 120: US$77.14 million
- Afghanistan — 104th of 120: US$67.6 million
What this measures
Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF. Data are in current U.S. dollars.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 55 values
| Year | Debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 110,035,591 |
| 2023 | 130,559,968 |
| 2022 | 82,166,214 |
| 2021 | 95,615,831 |
| 2020 | 73,079,643 |
| 2019 | 75,491,401 |
| 2018 | 79,356,948 |
| 2017 | 55,915,962 |
| 2016 | 58,018,925 |
| 2015 | 53,141,159 |
Debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$10.87 billion (2024)
- Benin — US$1.14 billion (2024)
- Botswana — US$275.16 million (2024)
- Burkina Faso — US$884.32 million (2024)
- Burundi — US$35.82 million (2024)
- Cabo Verde — US$152.48 million (2024)
- Cameroon — US$1.68 billion (2024)
- Central African Republic — US$56.51 million (2024)
- Chad — US$365.92 million (2024)
More economic policy & debt data for Lesotho
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — 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
Questions people ask
- What is Lesotho's debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$)?
- US$110.04 million in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1970?
- It is up 21,573% from US$507,700 in 1970 (10.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$130.56 million in 2023 and the lowest US$385,138 in 1971.
- How does Lesotho rank?
- 102nd highest of 120 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) unusual for Lesotho?
- In 2024, Lesotho's debt service on external debt, total (TDS, current US$) fell 15.7% on 2023 (from US$130.56 million to US$110.04 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +9.2% and a typical year strayed about 31.6% 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 DT.TDS.DECT.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in