Lesotho: Exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Lesotho's exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU) rose 1.5% on 2024 (from 11.1 billion to 11.27 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1969 to 2024), the average change was +12.3% and a typical year strayed about 23.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 100% in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 27.9% in 1966. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 4% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 119th highest value of the 128 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

• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 116th of 128: 18.49 billion
• Sierra Leone — 117th of 128: 18.42 billion
• Brunei Darussalam — 118th of 128: 13.33 billion
• El Salvador — 120th of 128: 9.11 billion
• Gambia, The — 121st of 128: 8.45 billion
• Venezuela, RB — 122nd of 128: 5.09 billion

What this measures

Exports as a capacity to import equals the current price value of exports of goods and services deflated by the import price index. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the series has been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment varies by country. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 41 values

Exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 4.07 trillion (2024)
• Benin — 2.32 trillion (2025)
• Botswana — 56.76 billion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 4.97 trillion (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 107.39 billion (2025)
• Cameroon — 3.57 trillion (2025)
• Central African Republic — 165.96 billion (2025)
• Chad — 3.46 trillion (2025)
• Comoros — 54.15 billion (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

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 exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU)?

11.27 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 301,499% from 3.74 million in 1960 (13.12% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 11.74 billion in 2018 and the lowest 3.74 million in 1960.

How does Lesotho rank?

119th highest of 128 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2025, Lesotho's exports as a capacity to import (constant LCU) rose 1.5% on 2024 (from 11.1 billion to 11.27 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1969 to 2024), the average change was +12.3% and a typical year strayed about 23.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.5 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 NY.EXP.CAPM.KN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, 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.

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