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Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho · Southern Africa
At a glance
CapitalMaseru
Most common first languageSesotho95% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languagesSesotho, English
Currencyrand
Drives on theleft
Highest pointThabana Ntlenyana3,482 m
Biggest category of goods exportedmanufactured goods70% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports1.7%of everything sold abroad, 2025
CoastlineLandlockedno access to the sea
Internet domain.ls
Lesotho by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 2.36m (2025) | 144th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $2.57bn (2025) | 180th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 30.4k km² (2023) | 137th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $36.3m (2024) | 143rd of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $1.27bn (2025) | 156th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 1.64m (2024) | 156th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 345 km² (2023) | 171st of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 23.6k km² (2023) | 112th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 1 Mt (2024) | 160th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 1.06m (2025) | 150th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 57.8 years (2024) | 205th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $1,089 (2025) | 189th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 51.8% (2024) | 147th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 4.3% (2025) | 53rd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 16.3% (2025) | 14th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 44.7% (2025) | 155th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 2.66 (2024) | 67th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 1.57% of GDP (2024) | 83rd of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 154.0% of GDP (2025) | 18th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.42 t (2024) | 163rd of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.550 (2023) | 167th of 193 |
Land borders
Lesotho shares these with other countries
Drives on the left 60Is landlocked 43Has english as an official language 63Uses the rand 3Is a constitutional monarchy 40Is a member of the commonwealth 55Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports manufactured goods 83Sells almost only goods 34Is in southern africa 5
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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