Background: Paramount chief MOSHOESHOE I consolidated what would become Basutoland in the early 19th century and made himself king in 1822. Continuing encroachments by Dutch settlers from the neighboring Orange Free State caused the king to enter into an 1868 agreement with the UK by which Basutoland became a British protectorate, and after 1884, a crown colony. Upon independence in 1966, the country was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho. 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
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 1,106 km
Border countries: (1) South Africa 1106 km

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

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

Land use
Agricultural land: 76.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 22.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 30 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km: Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 3.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 3.022 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

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 : 2,177,740 (July 2021 est.)
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Growth rate: 0.73% (2021 est.)
Below poverty line: 49.7% (2017 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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 31.3% (male 309,991/female 306,321)
15-24 years: 19.26% (male 181,874/female 197,452)
25-54 years: 38.86% (male 373,323/female 391,901)
55-64 years: 4.98% (male 52,441/female 45,726)
65 years and over: 5.6% (male 57,030/female 53,275) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 59.2
Youth dependency ratio: 51.3
Elderly dependency ratio: 7.9
Potential support ratio: 12.7 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 24.7 years
Male: 24.7 years
Female: 24.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.73% (2021 est.)

Birth rate: 23.3 births/1000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate: 11.41 deaths/1000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.59 migrant(s)/1000 population (2021 est.)

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: 29.5% of total population (2021)
Rate of urbanization: 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, 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

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 27.78 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.51 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 2.56 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.07 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 20.9 years (2014 est.)
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 544 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 50.23 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 55.92 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 44.37 deaths/1000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 58.9 years
Male: 56.82 years
Female: 61.04 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.95 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 64.9% (2018)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 93% of population
Improved rural: 72.4% of population
Improved total: 78.2% of population
Unimproved urban: 7% of population
Unimproved rural: 27.6% of population
Unimproved total: 21.8% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9.3% (2018)

Physicians density: 0.07 physicians/1000 population

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 88.6% of population
Improved rural: 52.3% of population
Improved total: 62.4% of population
Unimproved urban: 11.4% of population
Unimproved rural: 47.7% of population
Unimproved total: 37.6% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 21.1% (2020 est.)
People living with hivaids: 280,000 (2020 est.)
Deaths: 4,700 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or water borne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 16.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 10.5% (2018)

Education expenditures: 7.4% of GDP (2020)

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: 12 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 13 years (2017)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 35.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 31.2% NA
Rate ages 15-24 female: 41.5% NA (2019 est.)

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

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 descentonly: 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 Moeketsi MAJORO (since 20 May 2020); note - Prime Minister Thomas THABANE resigned on 19 May 2020
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 
Elections and appointments: 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

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate (33 seats; 22 principal chiefs and 11 other senators nominated by the king with the advice of the Council of State, a 13-member body of key government and non-government officials; members serve 5-year terms)
National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 elected through proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last nominated by the king 11 July 2017 (next NA)
National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2017 (next to be held in 2022)
Election results: Senate - percent of votes by party - NA, seats by party - NA; composition - men 25, women 8, percent of women 24.2%
National Assembly - percent of votes by party - ABC 40.5%, DC 25.8%, LCD 9%, AD 7.3%, MEC 5.1%, BNP 4.1, PFD 2.3%, other 5.9%; seats by party - ABC 51, DC 30, LCD 11, AD 9, MEC 6, BNP 5, PFD 3, other 5; composition - men 95, women 27, percent of women 22.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 22.9%

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 [Moeketsi MAJORO]
Alliance of Democrats or AD [Monyane MOLELEKI]
Basotho Action Party or BAP [Ngosa MAHAO]
Basotho National Party or BNP [Thesele MASERIBANE]
Democratic Congress or DC [Mathibeli MOKHOTHU]
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 chief of mission: Ambassador Sankatana Gabriel MAJA, Counselor (28 May 2021)
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
In the us email address and website:

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 ntat'a rona' (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
Lyrics and music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR
Note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: -1.6% (2017 est.)

3.1% (2016 est.)

2.5% (2015 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars

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: milk, potatoes, maize, vegetables, fruit, beef, game meat, mutton, beans, wool

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

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

Labor force: 930,800 (2017 est.)
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: 28.1% (2014 est.)

25% (2008 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15-24 total: 35.5%
Rate ages 15-24 male: 31.2% NA
Rate ages 15-24 female: 41.5% NA (2019 est.)

Population below poverty line: 49.7% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 44.9 (2017 est.)

56 (1986-87)

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

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

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

Public debt: 33.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources forest revenues: 3.34% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal coal revenues: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 5.3% (2019 est.)

3.8% (2018 est.)

5.1% (2017 est.)

Current account balance: -$102 million (2017 est.)

-$201 million (2016 est.)

Exports: $900 million note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$1.09 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$1.25 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: United States 29%, Belgium 26%, South Africa 25%, Switzerland 6% (2019)
Commodities: diamonds, clothing and apparel, low-voltage protection equipment, wheat products, footwear (2019)

Imports: $1.96 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2020 est.)

$2.2 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

$2.39 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)
Partners: South Africa 85%, China 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, poultry meats (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $657.7 million (31 December 2017 est.)

$925.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $868 million (2019 est.)

$834 million (2018 est.)

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 36% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 63% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 26% (2019)
Production: 510 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption: 847.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports: 373 million kWh (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 80,400 kW (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 100% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

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

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

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11,574 (2020)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2020 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1,562,648 (2020)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72.94 (2020 est.)

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: 1.03 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 29% (2019 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 5,060 (2020)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

1.5% of GDP (2019)

1.8% of GDP (2018)

2% of GDP (2017)

1.8% of GDP (2016)

Military and security forces: Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2021)

note - the Lesotho Mounted Police Service is responsible for internal security and reports to the Minister of Police and Public Safety

Military service age and obligation: 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women can serve as commissioned officers (2019)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 7P

Airports
Total: 24 (2013)
With paved runways total: 3
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2019)
With unpaved runways total: 21
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 5
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 16 (2013)

Roadways
Total: 5,940 km (2011)
Paved: 1,069 km (2011)
Unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)

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