Insurance and financial services in Lesotho
Lesotho: Insurance and financial services was 2.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Insurance and financial services in Lesotho, 1975–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2025, insurance and financial services in Lesotho stood at 2.3%.
The figure is down 10.0% on the previous year and down 45.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insurance and financial services in Lesotho peaked at 6.1% in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1989.
That places Lesotho 169th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Insurance and financial services in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4.5% | — |
| 1976 | 5.2% | +15.3% |
| 1977 | 5.2% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 5.3% | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 5.5% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 5.3% | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 6.1% | +14.4% |
| 1982 | 0.8% | -86.9% |
| 1983 | 0.8% | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 0.7% | -9.5% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 0.8% | +13.6% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | -23.2% |
| 1988 | 0.7% | +26.3% |
| 1989 | 0.6% | -21.0% |
| 1990 | 0.7% | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 0.8% | +22.2% |
| 1992 | 1.0% | +21.7% |
| 1993 | 1.1% | +12.9% |
| 1994 | 1.1% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 1.3% | +18.6% |
| 1998 | 1.6% | +24.3% |
| 1999 | 1.8% | +8.7% |
| 2000 | 3.0% | +69.3% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +9.0% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | +10.0% |
| 2003 | 3.3% | -8.0% |
| 2004 | 3.8% | +12.3% |
| 2005 | 4.5% | +19.8% |
| 2006 | 3.9% | -13.5% |
| 2007 | 3.7% | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 4.4% | +19.2% |
| 2009 | 3.4% | -22.3% |
| 2010 | 3.7% | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 3.2% | -13.4% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | +12.3% |
| 2013 | 3.6% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 3.7% | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 4.3% | +13.7% |
| 2016 | 2.8% | -33.1% |
| 2017 | 2.7% | -3.8% |
| 2018 | 2.6% | -4.6% |
| 2019 | 2.6% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 2.7% | +5.0% |
| 2021 | 2.9% | +7.3% |
| 2022 | 2.6% | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 2024 | 2.6% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2.3% | -10.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.1% | 4.5% | 5.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 0.6% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.2% | 0.7% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.0% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.3% | 2.6% | 4.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.9% | 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)
- Food exports 23.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 70.1% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 773.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 327.08 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3004 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -22 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insurance and financial services in Lesotho?
- Insurance and financial services in Lesotho was 2.3% 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 1981.
- What is the lowest insurance and financial services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1989.
- How does Lesotho rank for insurance and financial services?
- Lesotho ranks 169th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is insurance and financial services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.0%. 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 imports). 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 imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.