Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) was 1.64 billion current US$ in 2023. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Lesotho, 2000–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Lesotho stood at 1.64 billion current US$.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.6% on the previous year and up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Lesotho peaked at 2.30 billion current US$ in 2019 and was at its lowest, 302.54 million current US$, in 2000.
Lesotho ranks 170th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 302.54 million current US$ | — |
| 2001 | 552.32 million current US$ | +82.6% |
| 2002 | 685.64 million current US$ | +24.1% |
| 2003 | 1.05 billion current US$ | +53.4% |
| 2004 | 1.18 billion current US$ | +12.0% |
| 2005 | 754.93 million current US$ | -35.9% |
| 2006 | 799.61 million current US$ | +5.9% |
| 2007 | 862.46 million current US$ | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 722.74 million current US$ | -16.2% |
| 2009 | 806.26 million current US$ | +11.6% |
| 2010 | 1.17 billion current US$ | +45.3% |
| 2011 | 1.32 billion current US$ | +13.0% |
| 2012 | 1.47 billion current US$ | +10.8% |
| 2013 | 1.64 billion current US$ | +11.9% |
| 2014 | 1.41 billion current US$ | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 1.42 billion current US$ | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 1.35 billion current US$ | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 1.83 billion current US$ | +35.1% |
| 2018 | 1.87 billion current US$ | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 2.30 billion current US$ | +22.7% |
| 2020 | 1.75 billion current US$ | -23.8% |
| 2021 | 1.83 billion current US$ | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 1.80 billion current US$ | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 1.64 billion current US$ | -8.6% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.64 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.62 billion current US$, 19% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.64 billion current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.61 billion current US$, 36% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 771.64 million current US$ | 302.54 million current US$ | 1.18 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.58 billion current US$ | 1.17 billion current US$ | 2.30 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.76 billion current US$ | 1.64 billion current US$ | 1.83 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 167 Faroe Islands 1.93 billion current US$ compare
- 168 Cape Verde 1.74 billion current US$ compare
- 169 Suriname 1.66 billion current US$ compare
- 171 Aruba 1.53 billion current US$ compare
- 172 Seychelles 1.46 billion current US$ compare
- 173 Guam 1.45 billion current US$ compare
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$), annual growth rate -22 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Lesotho?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Lesotho was 1.64 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.30 billion current US$ in 2019.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 302.54 million current US$ in 2000.
- How does Lesotho rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Lesotho ranks 170th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.