Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Insurance and financial services in Lesotho, 1988–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service exports.
Analysis
In 2025, insurance and financial services in Lesotho stood at 0.1%.
The figure is up 28.6% on the previous year and up 62.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insurance and financial services in Lesotho peaked at 6.1% in 1993 and was at its lowest, -2.7%, in 1988.
Lesotho ranks 179th of 190 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | -2.7% | — |
| 1989 | -1.6% | -40.6% |
| 1990 | 1.2% | -176.4% |
| 1991 | -0.1% | -111.3% |
| 1992 | -0.1% | -54.4% |
| 1993 | 6.1% | -9649.8% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -63.6% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | -6.8% |
| 1997 | 0.0% | -99.2% |
| 1998 | 5.2% | +33017.5% |
| 1999 | 0.3% | -94.4% |
| 2000 | 0.1% | -52.8% |
| 2001 | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.1% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 0.4% | +203.7% |
| 2004 | 0.6% | +31.9% |
| 2005 | 0.1% | -75.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1% | -26.3% |
| 2008 | 1.4% | +1273.0% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | +126.0% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -53.1% |
| 2011 | 5.3% | +256.0% |
| 2012 | 5.1% | -3.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2% | -96.9% |
| 2014 | 0.2% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -47.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1% | -34.6% |
| 2017 | 0.1% | +103.7% |
| 2018 | 0.1% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 0.1% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 0.2% | +111.5% |
| 2021 | 0.2% | -35.6% |
| 2022 | 0.2% | +12.3% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | -10.3% |
| 2024 | 0.1% | -34.6% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | +28.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 0.1% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.4%, 5% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 0.1% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.9%, 3% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports) in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +33017.5% | 0.0% | 5.2% |
| 1993 | +9649.8% | -0.1% | 6.1% |
| 2008 | +1273.0% | 0.1% | 1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | -2.2% | -2.7% | -1.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.9% | -0.1% | 6.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.7% | 0.1% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 0.1% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More private sector data for Lesotho
- Merchandise trade 102.9% (2025)
- Food imports 23.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 59.2% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 1.88 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 460.39 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 23.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 70.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 773.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 18.67 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 327.08 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insurance and financial services in Lesotho?
- Insurance and financial services in Lesotho was 0.1% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest insurance and financial services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1993.
- What is the lowest insurance and financial services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.7% in 1988.
- How does Lesotho rank for insurance and financial services?
- Lesotho ranks 179th out of 190 countries with data for 2025.
- Is insurance and financial services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 62.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Insurance and financial services (% of commercial service exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Financial services covers services related to financial intermediation, financial risk management, liquidity transformation or auxiliary financial activities. It also includes insurance and pension scheme services which are services related to providing life insurance and annuities, non-life insurance, reinsurance, pensions, standardised guarantees and auxiliary services to insurance, pension schemes, and standardised guarantee schemes. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service exports which are commercial services provided by residents to non-residents.