Lesotho: Grants and other revenue (% of revenue)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lesotho's grants and other revenue (% of revenue) rose 0.25 percentage points on 2023 (from 33.7% to 33.95%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.71 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 9.46 percentage points in 2000 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.58 percentage points in 2001. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 7% 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 2024, Lesotho had the 12th highest value of the 81 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 2024 ranking

• Tajikistan — 8th of 81: 38.96%
• Solomon Islands — 9th of 81: 37.4%
• Rwanda — 10th of 81: 33.97%
• Panama — 12th of 81: 33.32%
• Mongolia — 13th of 81: 31.05%
• Colombia — 14th of 81: 28.41%

What this measures

Grants are transfers receivable by government units, from other resident or nonresident government units or international organizations, that do not meet the definition of a tax, subsidy, or social contribution. Other revenue is all revenue receivable excluding taxes, social contributions, and grants. This category of revenue includes property income, sales of goods and services, and miscellaneous other types of revenue. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of revenue which includes all transactions that add to the amount of economic value of a unit or sector.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

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

All 39 values

Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) in nearby economies

• Angola — 58.39% (2024)
• Botswana — 20.3% (2023)
• Burkina Faso — 17.07% (2024)
• Burundi — 26.68% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 25.92% (2020)
• Cameroon — 18.49% (2021)
• Central African Republic — 42.71% (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 35.08% (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 68.27% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 6.97% (2023)

More public sector data for Lesotho

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 39.91 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 713.78 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.63% (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 7.98 billion (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (current LCU) — 7.69 billion (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (% of industry and services value added) — 22.08% (2024)
• Customs and other import duties (current LCU) — 3.04 billion (2024)
• Customs and other import duties (% of tax revenue) — 19.61% (2024)
• Taxes on international trade (current LCU) — 3.04 billion (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Lesotho's grants and other revenue (% of revenue)?

33.95% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1984?

It is up 13.38 percentage points from 20.57% in 1984. The highest value was 45.62% in 2010 and the lowest 19.59% in 1986.

How does Lesotho rank?

12th highest of 81 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in grants and other revenue (% of revenue) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2024, Lesotho's grants and other revenue (% of revenue) rose 0.25 percentage points on 2023 (from 33.7% to 33.95%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.71 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 GC.REV.GOTR.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance 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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