Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho
Lesotho: Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in was 40.9% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho, 2000–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise exports.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho is 40.9%, measured in 2023.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and down 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho peaked at 86.3% in 2004 and was at its lowest, 21.0%, in 2003.
That places Lesotho 12th out of 204 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62.9% | — |
| 2001 | 62.0% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 41.3% | -33.4% |
| 2003 | 21.0% | -49.1% |
| 2004 | 86.3% | +310.3% |
| 2005 | 43.5% | -49.6% |
| 2006 | 21.1% | -51.5% |
| 2007 | 46.7% | +121.7% |
| 2008 | 40.8% | -12.5% |
| 2009 | 51.1% | +25.2% |
| 2010 | 77.3% | +51.1% |
| 2011 | 48.4% | -37.4% |
| 2012 | 51.0% | +5.5% |
| 2013 | 79.6% | +56.1% |
| 2014 | 23.2% | -70.9% |
| 2015 | 31.9% | +37.4% |
| 2016 | 56.4% | +76.8% |
| 2017 | 34.3% | -39.1% |
| 2018 | 40.8% | +18.8% |
| 2019 | 45.1% | +10.7% |
| 2020 | 44.0% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 41.7% | -5.3% |
| 2022 | 44.3% | +6.1% |
| 2023 | 40.9% | -7.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 40.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.4%, 7.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 40.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.5%, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 47.7% | 21.0% | 86.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 23.2% | 79.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 42.7% | 40.9% | 44.3% | 4 |
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 merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho?
- Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in in Lesotho was 40.9% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 86.3% in 2004.
- What is the lowest merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.0% in 2003.
- How does Lesotho rank for merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in?
- Lesotho ranks 12th out of 204 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa are the sum of merchandise exports from the reporting economy to low- and middle-income economies in the Sub-Saharan Africa region according to World Bank classification of economies. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise exports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.