Lesotho
Government debt in Lesotho
Government debt in Lesotho: 23.3% of GDP in 1988 and 49.4% of GDP in 2025, by IMF estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 49.4% of GDP
- Since 1988
- +26 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 83 of 149
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2031
- 52.2% of GDP
- IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 52.2% of GDP in 2031.
- The highest was 108.7% of GDP in 2001, the lowest 11.9% of GDP in 1991.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Lesotho |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 49.4 |
| 2024 | 52.5 |
| 2023 | 61 |
| 2022 | 64.6 |
| 2021 | 58 |
| 2020 | 54.7 |
| 2019 | 58.2 |
| 2018 | 48.2 |
| 2017 | 41 |
| 2016 | 41.5 |
| 2015 | 45.8 |
| 2014 | 41.5 |
| 2013 | 41.2 |
| 2012 | 39.9 |
| 2011 | 36.2 |
| 2010 | 33.8 |
| 2009 | 35.9 |
| 2008 | 47 |
| 2007 | 49.6 |
| 2006 | 43.7 |
| 2005 | 41 |
| 2004 | 49.4 |
| 2003 | 52.6 |
| 2002 | 79.6 |
| 2001 | 108.7 |
| 2000 | 88.5 |
| 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 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Lesotho |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 47.5 |
| 2027 | 48 |
| 2028 | 48.5 |
| 2029 | 49.2 |
| 2030 | 50.7 |
| 2031 | 52.2 |
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 in numbers
Every measure for Lesotho on one page
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Military
- Military spending1.63% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$37.3M in 2025
- Military spending per person$17 in 2025
- Military share of state spending2.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel2,000 people in 2020
- National power0.01% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports1 million TIV in 2019