Lesotho: Total debt service (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Lesotho's total debt service (% of GNI) fell 1.22 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.01% to 3.79%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 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 2.15 percentage points in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 2.63 percentage points 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 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.25 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 70% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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 63rd highest value of the 117 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

• Belize — 59th of 117: 4.15%
• Burkina Faso — 60th of 117: 4.06%
• Mauritania — 61st of 117: 3.83%
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 63rd of 117: 3.78%
• Mexico — 64th of 117: 3.77%
• Thailand — 65th of 117: 3.51%

What this measures

Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.

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

All 55 values

Total debt service (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Angola — 11.26% (2024)
• Benin — 5.38% (2024)
• Botswana — 1.45% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 4.06% (2024)
• Burundi — 1.18% (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 5.72% (2024)
• Cameroon — 3.21% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 1.94% (2024)
• Chad — 1.91% (2024)
• Comoros — 1.52% (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 0.64% (2024)

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 total debt service (% of GNI)?

3.79% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 3.22 percentage points from 0.57% in 1970. The highest value was 6.07% in 2002 and the lowest 0.13% in 1977.

How does Lesotho rank?

63rd highest of 117 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in total debt service (% of GNI) unusual for Lesotho?

In 2024, Lesotho's total debt service (% of GNI) fell 1.22 percentage points on 2023 (from 5.01% to 3.79%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +0.07 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 1.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 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 DT.TDS.DECT.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, 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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