Merchandise imports in Lesotho
Lesotho: Merchandise imports was 1.88 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1.88 billion current US$
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
168th
of 206 countries
All-time high
2.60 billion current US$
in 2012
All-time low
17.00 million current US$
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Merchandise imports in Lesotho, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1.88 billion current US$ for merchandise imports in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Lesotho peaked at 2.60 billion current US$ in 2012 and was at its lowest, 17.00 million current US$, in 1960.
Lesotho ranks 168th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 17.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 20.00 million current US$ | +17.6% |
| 1962 | 20.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 22.00 million current US$ | +10.0% |
| 1964 | 24.00 million current US$ | +9.1% |
| 1965 | 25.00 million current US$ | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 32.00 million current US$ | +28.0% |
| 1967 | 33.00 million current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 33.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 33.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 32.00 million current US$ | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 39.00 million current US$ | +21.9% |
| 1972 | 56.00 million current US$ | +43.6% |
| 1973 | 88.00 million current US$ | +57.1% |
| 1974 | 120.00 million current US$ | +36.4% |
| 1975 | 164.00 million current US$ | +36.7% |
| 1976 | 212.00 million current US$ | +29.3% |
| 1977 | 234.00 million current US$ | +10.4% |
| 1978 | 281.00 million current US$ | +20.1% |
| 1979 | 328.00 million current US$ | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 464.00 million current US$ | +41.5% |
| 1981 | 516.00 million current US$ | +11.2% |
| 1982 | 524.00 million current US$ | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 485.00 million current US$ | -7.4% |
| 1984 | 441.00 million current US$ | -9.1% |
| 1985 | 343.00 million current US$ | -22.2% |
| 1986 | 354.00 million current US$ | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 469.00 million current US$ | +32.5% |
| 1988 | 587.00 million current US$ | +25.2% |
| 1989 | 617.00 million current US$ | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 672.00 million current US$ | +8.9% |
| 1991 | 813.00 million current US$ | +21.0% |
| 1992 | 899.00 million current US$ | +10.6% |
| 1993 | 870.00 million current US$ | -3.2% |
| 1994 | 879.00 million current US$ | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 1.11 billion current US$ | +25.9% |
| 1996 | 1.13 billion current US$ | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.14 billion current US$ | +1.2% |
| 1998 | 941.00 million current US$ | -17.5% |
| 1999 | 866.00 million current US$ | -8.0% |
| 2000 | 809.00 million current US$ | -6.6% |
| 2001 | 743.00 million current US$ | -8.2% |
| 2002 | 815.00 million current US$ | +9.7% |
| 2003 | 1.12 billion current US$ | +37.5% |
| 2004 | 1.44 billion current US$ | +28.5% |
| 2005 | 1.41 billion current US$ | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.50 billion current US$ | +6.4% |
| 2007 | 1.74 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
| 2008 | 1.80 billion current US$ | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 1.85 billion current US$ | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 2.30 billion current US$ | +24.3% |
| 2011 | 2.50 billion current US$ | +8.7% |
| 2012 | 2.60 billion current US$ | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 2.17 billion current US$ | -16.4% |
| 2014 | 2.21 billion current US$ | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.00 billion current US$ | -9.5% |
| 2016 | 1.86 billion current US$ | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 2.07 billion current US$ | +11.0% |
| 2018 | 2.19 billion current US$ | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 1.73 billion current US$ | -20.6% |
| 2020 | 1.38 billion current US$ | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 1.82 billion current US$ | +32.2% |
| 2022 | 1.86 billion current US$ | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 1.72 billion current US$ | -7.1% |
| 2024 | 1.85 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 2025 | 1.88 billion current US$ | +1.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.88 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 11.14 billion current US$, 17% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.88 billion current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 34% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 25.90 million current US$ | 17.00 million current US$ | 33.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 155.40 million current US$ | 32.00 million current US$ | 328.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 480.00 million current US$ | 343.00 million current US$ | 617.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 931.30 million current US$ | 672.00 million current US$ | 1.14 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.32 billion current US$ | 743.00 million current US$ | 1.85 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.16 billion current US$ | 1.73 billion current US$ | 2.60 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.75 billion current US$ | 1.38 billion current US$ | 1.88 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 165 Eswatini 2.09 billion current US$ compare
- 166 Cape Verde 2.04 billion current US$ compare
- 167 Sierra Leone 1.89 billion current US$ compare
- 169 Equatorial Guinea 1.70 billion current US$ compare
- 170 Faroe Islands 1.67 billion current US$ compare
- 171 Aruba 1.60 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)
- 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$), annual growth rate -22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 793.38 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Lesotho?
- Merchandise imports in Lesotho was 1.88 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.60 billion current US$ in 2012.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.00 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Lesotho rank for merchandise imports?
- Lesotho ranks 168th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a 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. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.