Lesotho's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) was −US$33.48 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 70.43% from −US$113.22 million in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | −US$33.48 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | −US$12.26 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | −US$113.22 million | 2015 |
| Highest | US$57.51 million | 2019 |
| Lowest | −US$134.94 million | 2017 |
| Average since 2016 | −US$21.28 million | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | −US$4.49 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Lesotho's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$18.66 million on 2024 (from −US$14.82 million to −US$33.48 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$948,209 and a typical year strayed about US$47.99 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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$111.48 million in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was US$95.99 million in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 8% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Lesotho had the 40th highest value of the 136 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Lesotho in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
Foreign direct investment is a category of cross-border investment associated with a resident in one economy having control or a significant degree of influence on the management of an enterprise that is resident in another economy. Ownership of 10 percent or more of the voting power is evidence of a direct investment relationship. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
All 46 values
| Year | Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -33,484,106 |
| 2024 | -14,823,065 |
| 2023 | -24,935,424 |
| 2022 | 138,752 |
| 2021 | 12,441,256 |
| 2020 | -12,262,632 |
| 2019 | 57,514,792 |
| 2018 | -23,460,238 |
| 2017 | -134,944,855 |
| 2016 | -38,951,410 |
Foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies
- Angola — −US$2.09 billion (2025)
- Benin — −US$429.95 million (2023)
- Botswana — US$773.32 million (2025)
- Burkina Faso — US$259.26 million (2024)
- Burundi — −US$31.21 million (2025)
- Cabo Verde — −US$128.14 million (2025)
- Cameroon — −US$824.8 million (2024)
- Comoros — −US$5.35 million (2023)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — −US$1.87 billion (2025)
- Congo, Rep.
More economic policy & debt data for Lesotho
- General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — 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
Questions people ask
- What is Lesotho's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP)?
- −US$33.48 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1980?
- It is down 645.1% from −US$4.49 million in 1980. The highest value was US$57.51 million in 2019 and the lowest −US$134.94 million in 2017.
- How does Lesotho rank?
- 40th highest of 136 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) unusual for Lesotho?
- In 2025, Lesotho's foreign direct investment, net (current US$, BoP) fell US$18.66 million on 2024 (from −US$14.82 million to −US$33.48 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +US$948,209 and a typical year strayed about US$47.99 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 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 BN.KLT.DINV.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.
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