Background: Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basotho National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE II 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 in 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month. MOSISILI returned to power in snap elections in February 2015 after the collapse of THABANE’s coalition government and an alleged attempted military coup. In June 2017, THABANE returned to become prime minister.

Geographic coordinates: 29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 30,355 km²
Land: 30,355 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 142
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 1106 km
Border countries: (1) South Africa 1106 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

Terrain: mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation
Mean elevation: 2,161 m
Lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
Highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 76.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 1.5% (2011 est.)
Other: 22.4% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked, an enclave of (completely surrounded by) South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

Population
Distribution: relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people:
Rank: 149
Growth rate: 0.24% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 178
Below poverty line: 57% (2016 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
Adjective: Basotho

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

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

Religions: Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile: Lesotho faces great socioeconomic challenges. More than half of its population lives below the property line, and the country’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second highest in the world. In addition, Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked country with little arable land, leaving its population vulnerable to food shortages and reliant on remittances. Lesotho’s persistently high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been increasing during the last decade, according to the last two Demographic and Health Surveys. Despite these significant shortcomings, Lesotho has made good progress in education; it is on-track to achieve universal primary education and has one of the highest adult literacy rates in Africa.Lesotho’s migration history is linked to its unique geography; it is surrounded by South Africa with which it shares linguistic and cultural traits. Lesotho at one time had more of its workforce employed outside its borders than any other country. Today remittances equal about 17% of its GDP. With few job options at home, a high rate of poverty, and higher wages available across the border, labor migration to South Africa replaced agriculture as the prevailing Basotho source of income decades ago. The majority of Basotho migrants were single men contracted to work as gold miners in South Africa. However, migration trends changed in the 1990s, and fewer men found mining jobs in South Africa because of declining gold prices, stricter immigration policies, and a preference for South African workers.Although men still dominate cross-border labor migration, more women are working in South Africa, mostly as domestics, because they are widows or their husbands are unemployed. Internal rural-urban flows have also become more frequent, with more women migrating within the country to take up jobs in the garment industry or moving to care for loved ones with HIV/AIDS. Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.

Age structure
0-14 years: 31.84% (male 314,155 /female 310,772)
15-24 years: 19.34% (male 181,332 /female 198,236)
25-54 years: 38.27% (male 366,652 /female 384,333)
55-64 years: 5.02% (male 52,490 /female 46,016)
65 years and over: 5.53% (male 55,804 /female 52,671) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 66.9 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 59.5 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.4 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 13.5 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.4 years (2018 est.)
Male: 24.4 years
Female: 24.3 years
Rank: 164

Population growth rate: 0.24% (2018 est.)
Rank: 178

Birth rate: 24.2 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 52

Death rate: 15.1 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 2

Net migration rate: -6.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 205

Population distribution: relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people

Urbanization
Urban population: 28.6% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.83% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018)

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
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth:

Infant mortality rate
Total: 44.6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 48.1 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 40.9 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 36

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 53 years (2018 est.)
Male: 53 years
Female: 53.1 years
Rank: 221

Total fertility rate: 2.59 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 72

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 60.2% (2014)

Drinking water source
Urban: 5.4% of population
Rural: 23% of population
Total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 8.1% (2016)

Physicians density: 0.07 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 62.7% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 72.4% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 69.7% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 23.6% (2018 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 2
People living with hivaids: 340,000 (2018 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 20
Deaths: 6,100 (2018 est.)
Deaths rank: 24

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 16.6% (2016)
Rank: 122

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 10.5% (2014)
Rank: 60

Education expenditures: 6.4% of GDP (2018)
Rank: 23

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.4%
Male: 70.1%
Female: 88.3% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 11 years (2015)

Country name
Conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
Conventional short form: Lesotho
Local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
Local short form: Lesotho
Former: Basutoland
Etymology: the name translates as Land of the Sesotho Speakers

Government type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital
Name: Maseru
Geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
Time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: in the Sesotho language the name means '[place of] red sandstones'

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

Independence: 4 October 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution
History: previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version)
Amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king; passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2011 (2017)

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
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile
Head of government: Prime Minister Thomas Motsoahae THABANE (since 16 June 2017)
Cabinet: consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 26 other ministers
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary, but under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a living symbol of national unity with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law, the college of chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, such number of justices of appeal as set by Parliament, and the Chief Justice and the puisne judges of the High Court ex officio); High Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of puisne judges as set by Parliament); note - both the Court of Appeal and the High Court have jurisdiction in constitutional issues
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch; judges of both courts can serve until age 75
Subordinate courts: Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders: All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas Motsoahae THABANE]Alliance of Democrats or AD [Monyane MOLELEKI]Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Thulo MAHLAKENG]Basotho National Party or BNP [Thesele MASERIBANE]Democratic Congress or DC [Pakalitha MOSISILI]Democratic Party of Lesotho or DPL [Limpho TAU]Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]Movement of Economic Change or MEC [Selibe MOCHOBOROANE]National Independent Party or NIP [Kimetso MATHABA]Popular Front for Democracy of PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL [Keketso RANTSO]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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
In the us chancery: 2,511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-5,533
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 234-6,815
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Rebecca E. GONZALES (since 8 February 2018)
From the us telephone: [266] 22 312 666
From the us embassy: 254 Kingsway Road, Maseru West
From the us mailing address: P.O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
From the us FAX: [266] 22 310 116

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: mokorotio (Basotho hat); national colors: blue, white, green, black

National anthem
Name: Lesotho fatse la bo ntata rona (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
Lyricsmusic: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR: note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

Economy overview: Small, mountainous, and completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho depends on a narrow economic base of textile manufacturing, agriculture, remittances, and regional customs revenue. About three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in animal herding and subsistence agriculture, although Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability.Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity; Lesotho imports 85% of the goods it consumes from South Africa, including most agricultural inputs. Households depend heavily on remittances from family members working in South Africa in mines, on farms, and as domestic workers, though mining employment has declined substantially since the 1990s. Lesotho is a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), and revenues from SACU accounted for roughly 26% of total GDP in 2016; however, SACU revenues are volatile and expected to decline over the next 5 years. Lesotho also gains royalties from the South African Government for water transferred to South Africa from a dam and reservoir system in Lesotho. However, the government continues to strengthen its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties and other transfers.The government maintains a large presence in the economy - government consumption accounted for about 26% of GDP in 2017. The government remains Lesotho's largest employer; in 2016, the government wage bill rose to 23% of GDP - the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. Lesotho's largest private employer is the textile and garment industry - approximately 36,000 Basotho, mainly women, work in factories producing garments for export to South Africa and the US. Diamond mining in Lesotho has grown in recent years and accounted for nearly 35% of total exports in 2015. Lesotho managed steady GDP growth at an average of 4.5% from 2010 to 2014, dropping to about 2.5% in 2015-16, but poverty remains widespread around 57% of the total population.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 170

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 205

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 190

Gross national saving:
Rank: 96

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 69.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 26.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 31.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -13.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 40.8% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -54.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5.8% (2016 est.)
Industry: 39.2% (2016 est.)
Services: 54.9% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 12.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 6

Labor force: 930,800 (2017 est.)
Rank: 148
By occupation agriculture: 86%
By occupation industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)
By occupation: note: most of the resident population is engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 205

Population below poverty line: 57% (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 1%
Highest 10: 39.4% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 1

Budget
Revenues: 1.09 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 1.255 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 184

Taxes and other revenues: 39.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 43

Public debt:
Rank: 155

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 173

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 53

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 69

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 175

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 179

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 180

Current account balance:
Rank: 86

Exports:
Rank: 160
Partners: South Africa 57%, US 33.5% (2017)
Commodities: manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds

Imports:
Rank: 172
Commodities: food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
Partners: South Africa 87.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 143

Debt external:
Rank: 167

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 129

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 109

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 1 million (2017)
Access electrification total population: 29.7% (2016)
Access electrification urban areas: 66% (2016)
Access electrification rural areas: 15.7% (2016)
Production: 510 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 165
Consumption: 847.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 160
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 158
Imports: 373 million kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 84
Installed generating capacity: 80,400 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 184
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 213
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 127
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 100% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 1
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 159

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 162
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 154
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 152
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 157

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 165
Products consumption: 5,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 179
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 171
Products imports: 5,118 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 170

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 157
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 167
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 138
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 148
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 158

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 711,100 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 177

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 10,637
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 194
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,380,804
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 146

Telephone system
General assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; fixed-line teledensity is low; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding; commercial services with LTE technology (2018)
Domestic: mobile-cellular service dominates the market with a subscribership now over 122 per 100 persons; fixed-line is 1 per 100 subscriptions (2018)
International: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Internet accessibility has improved with several submarine fibre optic cables that land on African east and west coasts, but the countrys land locked position makes access prices expensive (2019)

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 (2019)

Internet
Country code: .ls
Users total: 534,360
Users percent of population: 27.4% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 148

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,984 (2017 est.)
Rank: 176

Military expenditures:
Rank: 62

Military and security forces: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2012)

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

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 7P (2016)

Airports: 24 (2013)
Rank: 131
With paved runways total: 3 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 21 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 16 (2013)

Roadways
Total: 5,940 km (2011)
Paved: 1069 km (2011)
Unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)
Rank: 140

Disputes international: South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration