Lesotho vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Merchandise trade
Merchandise trade over time
- Lesotho
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Lesotho currently reports 102.9% against 44.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 58.4%.
That makes Lesotho's figure about 2.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Lesotho has been ahead every year.
Lesotho ranks 23rd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th of 204 countries.
Lesotho has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.6% | 30.8% | 30.8% | Lesotho |
| 1970s | 101.0% | 36.2% | 64.7% | Lesotho |
| 1980s | 134.6% | 34.6% | 100.0% | Lesotho |
| 1990s | 124.1% | 33.1% | 91.0% | Lesotho |
| 2000s | 137.0% | 44.2% | 92.8% | Lesotho |
| 2010s | 131.3% | 43.5% | 87.8% | Lesotho |
| 2020s | 113.5% | 40.4% | 73.1% | Lesotho |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher merchandise trade, Lesotho or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Lesotho, at 102.9% against 44.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in merchandise trade between Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 58.4%, with Lesotho ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Lesotho and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for merchandise trade?
- Lesotho ranks 23rd and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 20th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Trade Organization (WTO), published as Merchandise trade (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.