Map of Lesotho | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled for the first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990 but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son King LETSIE III in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998 violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Botswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002 but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties continue to dispute how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly.


top of page


Location: Southern Africa an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S 28 30 E

Map reference

Area
Rank: 142
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; cool to cold dry winters; hot wet summers

Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus hills and mountains

Elevation

Natural resources: water agricultural and grazing land diamonds sand clay building stone

Land use

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2003)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 5.2 km³ (1987)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous more than 80% of the country is 1800 m above sea level


top of page


Population: 1,930,493 (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 148
Growth rate: 0.332% (2012 est.)
Growth rate rank: 164
Below poverty line: 49% (1999)

Nationality

Ethnic groups: Sotho 99.7% Europeans Asians and other 0.3%

Languages: Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho) English (official) Zulu Xhosa

Religions: Christian 80% indigenous beliefs 20%

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.332% (2012 est.)
Rank: 164

Birth rate: 26.65 births/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 50

Death rate: 15.18 deaths/1000 population (July 2012 est.)
Rank: 3

Net migration rate: -8.15 migrant(s)/1000 population (2012 est.)
Rank: 205

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing severe soil erosion and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls stores and redirects water to South Africa

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Rank: 39

Life expectancy at birth
Rank: 214

Total fertility rate: 2.89 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Rank: 68

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.05 physicians/1000 population (2003)

Hospital bed density: 1.33 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:
Unimproved:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 23.6% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 3
People living with hivaids: 290,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 20
Deaths: 14,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 20

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 16.6% (2005)
Rank: 49

Education expenditures: 12.4% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 3

Literacy

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea Butha-Buthe Leribe Mafeteng Maseru Mohale's Hoek Mokhotlong Qacha's Nek Quthing Thaba-Tseka

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 4 October (1966)

Constitution: 2 April 1993

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats 80 by popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice appointed by the monarch acting on the advice of the prime minister); Court of Appeal; Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts

Political parties and leaders: All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas THABANE]; Basotho Batho Democratic Party or BBDP; Basotho Congress Party or BCP; Basotho Democratic National Party or BDNP [Thabang NYEOE]; Basotho National Party or BNP [vacant]; Democratic Congress or DC; Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Pakalitha MOSISILI]; Lesotho Peoples Congress or LPC; Lesotho Workers Party or LWP [Macaefa BILLY]; Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP; National Independent Party or NIP [Anthony MANYELI]; Popular Front for Democracy or PFD

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU C CD FAO G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA NAM OPCW SACU SADC UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: three horizontal stripes of blue (top) white and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain peace and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

National symbols: Basotho hat

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Small landlocked and mountainous Lesotho relies on remittances from Basotho employed in South Africa customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) and export revenue for the majority of government revenue. However the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling canning leather and jute industries as well as an apparel-assembly sector. Despite Lesotho's market-based economy being heavily tied to its neighbor South Africa the US is an important trade partner because of the export sector's heavy dependence on apparel exports. Exports have grown significantly because of the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. Most of the labor force is engaged in subsistence agriculture especially livestock herding although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007 Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million. Economic growth dropped in 2009 due mainly to the effects of the global economic crisis as demand for the country's exports declined and SACU revenue fell precipitously when South Africa - the primary contributor to the SACU revenue pool - went into recession but growth exceeded 4% per year in 2010-12. Growth is expected to increase due to major infrastructure projects but Lesotho's weak manufacturing and agriculture sectors continue to hamper growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 173

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 76

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 193

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: corn wheat pulses sorghum barley; livestock

Industries

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 105

Labor force: 854,600 (2007 est.)
Rank: 146

Unemployment rate: 45% (2002)
Rank: 190

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 49% (1999)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index: 56 (1986-87)
Rank: 3

Budget
Surplus or deficit: -0.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 55

Taxes and other revenues: 63.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
Rank: 9

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5% (2011 est.)
Rank: 161

Central bank discount rate: 10.66% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 23

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 10.4% (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 87

Stock of narrow money: $346.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 165

Stock of broad money: $820.4 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 171

Stock of domestic credit: $60.61 million (31 December 2010 est.)
Rank: 187

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: -$521.5 million (2011 est.)
Rank: 91

Exports: $1.003 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 156
Commodities: manufactures 75% (clothing footwear road vehicles) wool and mohair food and live animals

Imports: $2.306 billion (2011 est.)
Rank: 158
Commodities: food; building materials vehicles machinery medicines petroleum products

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.109 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 133

Debt external: $729.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 166

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $120 million (31 December 2011 est.)
Rank: 100

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Production: 200 million kWh (2009 est.)
Production rank: 182
Consumption: 293 million kWh (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 176
Exports: 0 kWh (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 92
Imports: 121 million kWh (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 91
Installed generating capacity: 76,000 kW (2009 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 175
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 209
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 127
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 1
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 150

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 157
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 144
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 209
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2012 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 156

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products production rank: 167
Products consumption: 1777 bbl/day (2011 est.)
Products consumption rank: 192
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products exports rank: 194
Products imports: 1813 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Products imports rank: 181

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Production rank: 156
Consumption: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Consumption rank: 166
Exports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Exports rank: 106
Imports: 0 m³ (2010 est.)
Imports rank: 92
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2012 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 161

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 282,100 Mt (2010 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 191

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 38,600 (2011)
Main lines in use rank: 168
Mobile cellular: 1.232 million (2011)
Mobile cellular rank: 152

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; government controls most private broadcast media; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2008)

Internet
Country code: .ls
Hosts: 11,030 (2012)
Hosts rank: 131
Users: 76,800 (2009)
Users rank: 168

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures: 2.6% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 55

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 24 (2012)
Rank: 131

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Rank: 147

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs