Lesotho vs South Africa: Government debt

Government debt: 49.4% of GDP in Lesotho in 2025 and 76% of GDP in South Africa in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 23.4 percentage points, or 1.45 times that in Lesotho.

Watch it change on the map

% of GDP · IMF

LesothoSouth AfricaIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Lesotho.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Lesotho at 52.2% of GDP and South Africa at 79.8% of GDP in 2031.

Every year

% of GDP · IMF

Year	Lesotho	South Africa
2025	49.4	78.4
2024	52.5	76
2023	61	73.2
2022	64.6	70.7
2021	58	68.8
2020	54.7	68.9
2019	58.2	56.1
2018	48.2	51.5
2017	41	48.6
2016	41.5	47.1
2015	45.8	45.2
2014	41.5	43.3
2013	41.2	40.4
2012	39.9	37.4
2011	36.2	34.7
2010	33.8	31.2
2009	35.9	27
2008	47	24.1
2007	49.6	24.3
2006	43.7	28
2005	41	29.6
2004	49.4	30.7
2003	52.6	31.5
2002	79.6	31.8
2001	108.7	38.1
2000	88.5	37.9
1999	83	–
1998	79.4	–
1997	65.7	–
1996	71.6	–
1995	62.8	–
1994	67	–
1993	71.2	–
1992	64.4	–
1991	11.9	–
1990	18	–
1989	25.5	–
1988	23.3	–

12.3Projected

IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031

Year	Lesotho	South Africa
2026	47.5	78
2027	48	78.1
2028	48.5	78.8
2029	49.2	79.5
2030	50.7	79.7
2031	52.2	79.8

Each country on its own

Good to know

What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Lesotho vs South Africa: Government debt

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

Good to know

Lesotho vs South Africa

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