Lesotho: Gross savings (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Lesotho's gross savings (% of GNI) fell 6.48 percentage points on 2024 (from 17.57% to 11.1%).

Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2024), the average change was +0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 11.97 percentage points in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.52 percentage points in 2009. 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 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 2025, Lesotho had the 91st highest value of the 100 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

• South Africa — 87th of 100: 13.16%
• Venezuela, RB — 88th of 100: 13.04%
• Greece — 89th of 100: 11.64%
• West Bank and Gaza — 91st of 100: 8.65%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 92nd of 100: 8.5%
• Montenegro — 93rd of 100: 7.01%

What this measures

Savings is an amount that represents the part of disposable income (adjusted for the change in pension entitlements) that is not spent on final consumption. Gross savings are calculated as gross national income less total consumption, plus net transfers. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) which is the total income earned by all residents within an economic territory during an accounting period. It is equal to gross domestic product plus earned income receivable from abroad minus earned income payable abroad.

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

All 26 values

Gross savings (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 16.96% (2024)
• Benin — 30.55% (2023)
• Botswana — 29.3% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 16.88% (2024)
• Burundi — 43.16% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 21.42% (2025)
• Cameroon — 15.87% (2024)
• Comoros — 11.99% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 29.79% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 35.62% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 17.94% (2024)
• Eswatini

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 gross savings (% of GNI)?

11.1% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1975?

It is up 4.77 percentage points from 6.33% in 1975. The highest value was 32.34% in 2008 and the lowest 6.33% in 1975.

How does Lesotho rank?

91st highest of 100 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in gross savings (% of GNI) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2025, Lesotho's gross savings (% of GNI) fell 6.48 percentage points on 2024 (from 17.57% to 11.1%). Across the 23 yearly changes before that (1976 to 2024), the average change was +0.14 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NY.GNS.ICTR.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; 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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