Lesotho's military expenditure (current LCU) was 713.78 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 27.07% from 561.72 million in 2015 (2.42% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 713.78 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 635.98 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 561.72 million | 2015 |
| Highest | 713.78 million | 2025 |
| Lowest | 1.99 million | 1976 |
| Average since 2016 | 640.52 million | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 1.99 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Lesotho's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 6.1% on 2024 (from 672.7 million to 713.78 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.2% and a typical year strayed about 18.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 100.4% in 1980 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.5% 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 2016 to 2025 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% 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 133rd highest value of the 150 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
- Gambia, The — 130th of 150: 1.07 billion
- Luxembourg — 131st of 150: 758.29 million
- Sierra Leone — 132nd of 150: 732.1 million
- Cyprus — 134th of 150: 588 million
- Bahrain — 135th of 150: 552.03 million
- El Salvador — 136th of 150: 490 million
What this measures
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)
Limitations: SIPRI strives to compile reliable, consistent military expenditure data by assessing multiple sources, but accuracy depends on the quality and transparency of those sources. Challenges arise from two key issues: whether reported figures reflect actual spending and how closely they match SIPRI’s definition. While data is generally accurate in developed and many developing countries, weak governance, corruption, and secret transfers in others can lead to major discrepancies. SIPRI sometimes makes estimates, when sources conflict or lack coverage, introducing uncertainty, especially for countries like China or the UAE.
All 50 values
| Year | Military expenditure (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 713,775,000 |
| 2024 | 672,700,000 |
| 2023 | 635,109,375 |
| 2022 | 567,328,125 |
| 2021 | 547,400,000 |
| 2020 | 635,975,000 |
| 2019 | 647,800,000 |
| 2018 | 676,375,000 |
| 2017 | 697,925,000 |
| 2016 | 610,816,250 |
| 2015 |
Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Angola — 1.34 trillion (2025)
- Benin — 126.13 billion (2025)
- Botswana — 8.34 billion (2025)
- Burkina Faso — 518.42 billion (2025)
- Burundi — 670.49 billion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — 1.96 billion (2025)
- Cameroon — 364.86 billion (2025)
- Central African Republic — 43.14 billion (2025)
- Chad — 377.27 billion (2025)
- Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3.32 trillion (2025)
- Congo, Rep.
More public sector data for Lesotho
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 39.91 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)
- Tax revenue (current LCU) — 15.52 billion (2024)
- Tax revenue (% of GDP)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Lesotho's military expenditure (current LCU)?
- 713.78 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1976?
- It is up 35,723% from 1.99 million in 1976 (12.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 713.78 million in 2025 and the lowest 1.99 million in 1976.
- How does Lesotho rank?
- 133rd highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (current LCU) unusual for Lesotho?
- In 2025, Lesotho's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 6.1% on 2024 (from 672.7 million to 713.78 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +8.2% and a typical year strayed about 18.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 MS.MIL.XPND.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases 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.
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