Country profile · Sub-Saharan Africa · LMC
🇱🇸 Lesotho
Lower middle income. Capital Maseru. Lower-third GDP/cap (LMC · SHORT) - 41 series with wider survey lag risk.
- 2.3 million
- Population
- $2.4 billion
- GDP
- $1,023
- GDP / capita
- 57.8 years
- Life expectancy
Lower-third GDP/cap · SHORT
Lesotho ranks 187th of 217 by total GDP and 213th for life expectancy - a lower middle income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- #187
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $1,023
- GDP per capita
- #213
- Life-expectancy rank
- #146
- Population rank
Lesotho lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#196 of 214) - LMC · SHORT - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Lesotho vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$2,391,282,548 187th of 214 higher than 27 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) · 2026-08-14
Lesotho on the global income map
Lesotho (LSO) sits in the lower GDP/cap third - plotted with largest peers; bubble area = population.
- Lesotho: GDP per capita $1,023 (2024), life expectancy 57.8 years (2024), low income.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Lesotho has a population of 2.3 million, making it the 146th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Its economy totals $2.4 billion - ranked 187th globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $1,023, placing it in the Lower middle income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 57.8 years (ranked 213th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is Maseru.
👥 Demographics
💰 Economy
🏥 Health
📚 Education
🌍 Environment
🏗️ Infrastructure
⚖️ Social
🌐 Livability Score
One composite verdict from 5 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Lesotho does report.
- Life expectancy: 2.3 of 10
- Under-5 mortality: 2.2 of 10
- Access to electricity: 2.4 of 10
- Access to clean water: 3.0 of 10
- Safety (homicide rate): 0.0 of 10
All indicators for Lesotho
41 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
| Topic | Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Population | 2.3 million | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 0-14 | 34.5% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Ages 65+ | 3.9% | 2024 |
| Demographics | Population Density | 76.1/km² | 2023 |
| Demographics | Urban Population | 43.7% | 2024 |
| Economy | Foreign Direct Investment | $-12,572,108.04 | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP (Current USD) | $2.4 billion | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Growth Rate | 5.2% | 2024 |
| Economy | GDP Per Capita (Current USD) | $1,023.042 | 2024 |
| Economy | Government Debt (% of GDP) | 3.0% | 2020 |
| Economy | Inflation (Consumer Prices) | 6.1% | 2024 |
| Economy | Trade (% of GDP) | 152.5% | 2024 |
| Economy | Unemployment Rate | 16.3% | 2024 |
| Health | Health Expenditure (% of GDP) | 12.6% | 2023 |
| Health | Infant Mortality Rate | 56.3 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Health | Life Expectancy at Birth | 57.8 years | 2024 |
| Health | Maternal Mortality Ratio | 478 | 2023 |
| Health | Physicians (per 1,000 people) | 0.2 per 1,000 | 2022 |
| Health | Stunting Prevalence (under 5) | 35.6 | 2024 |
| Health | Under-5 Mortality Rate | 60.0 per 1,000 | 2024 |
| Education | Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 6.6% | 2024 |
| Education | Literacy Rate (Adult) | 90.4 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Primary) | 80.2 | 2024 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Secondary) | 59.4 | 2017 |
| Education | School Enrollment (Tertiary) | 9.9 | 2018 |
| Education | Youth Literacy Rate | 96.5 | 2024 |
| Environment | CO2 Emissions Per Capita | 0.4 | 2024 |
| Environment | Forest Area | 1.1 | 2023 |
| Environment | Freshwater Withdrawal | 0.8 | 2022 |
| Environment | Renewable Energy Consumption | 34.9% | 2022 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Clean Water | 31.3% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Electricity | 57.3% | 2023 |
| Infrastructure | Access to Sanitation | 43.8% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Internet Users | 51.8% | 2024 |
| Infrastructure | Mobile Subscriptions | 70.3 | 2024 |
| Social | Female Labor Participation | 48.5 | 2024 |
| Social | GINI Index | 44.9 | 2017 |
| Social | Intentional Homicides | 38.2 | 2008 |
| Social | Male Labor Participation | 67.2 | 2024 |
| Social | Net Migration | -5,107 | 2024 |
| Social | Poverty (< $2.15/day) | 41.9% | 2017 |
🫀 Disease Burden
Tuberculosis deaths at 57.0 per 100,000 sit well above the fleet midpoint (4.1) on Lesotho; the cause list below is truncated to the steepest rates instead of repeating the full WHO menu. Summary metrics use 2021 data; cause-specific cards show their own observation year.
Non-communicable Diseases
Communicable & Maternal
Injuries & External Causes
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Lesotho with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Lesotho
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Lesotho (LMC · SHORT), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
LMC SHORT
Guinea-Bissau · LIC
Guinea-Bissau GDP/cap $998 is lower by $25 than Lesotho; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Syrian Arab Republic · LIC
Syrian Arab Republic GDP/cap $1,057 is higher by $34 than Lesotho; LE stamp LONG vs SHORT.
Rwanda · LIC
Rwanda GDP/cap $1,060 is higher by $37 than Lesotho; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Sudan · LIC
Sudan GDP/cap $985 is lower by $38 than Lesotho; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Sub-Saharan Africa WDI roster
Lesotho stamps LMC · SHORT inside Sub-Saharan Africa - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#196)
Lesotho ranks #196 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the LMC Atlas band.
What the data says about Lesotho
Lesotho is a lower-middle-income economy, a tier where a large share of economic activity often sits outside formally measured, monetized markets, so official statistics can understate real living standards more than the headline dollar figures suggest. With a comparatively small population, a single survey round or a change in methodology can shift Lesotho's reported figures noticeably from one release to the next, independent of any real change on the ground. Where a field on this page reads "N/A," it usually means the relevant agency has not yet published a recent estimate for Lesotho.
Lesotho lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#196 of 214) - LMC · SHORT - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Lesotho's 2.3 million people and $2.4 billion GDP (187th) yield $1,023 per person in the lower GDP/cap third. Life expectancy 57.8 years (213th, SHORT) and survey lag both matter when reading single-year cells. 41 official points sit in the tables.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: Guinea-Bissau at $998 (Δ $25). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Lesotho's numbers
Lesotho is classified LMC with SHORT. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Lesotho directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Lesotho ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the data for Lesotho come from?
Data for Lesotho is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.
How current is the data for Lesotho?
Survey lag is the binding caveat on Lesotho: several WDI/WHO cells trail the LMC headline year. Each table cell prints its own observation year; methodology lists cadence per source.
Can I compare Lesotho with other countries?
Start with the nearest GDP/cap peer (Guinea-Bissau, Δ $25), then the GDP/cap leaderboard. Incomplete compare URLs 404 rather than dumping you on a hub.
What does GDP per capita tell us about Lesotho?
Lesotho's total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.
How does Lesotho's life expectancy compare to the global average?
57.8 years, ranking 213th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.
Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Lesotho?
No - PlainCountries covers development and health indicators only. For immigration policy or flight routes, consult the relevant national authority or the ICAO/IATA route registries directly.
Data sources
Lesotho's figures are rendered directly from World Bank, WHO, and ILO data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-14. Primary sources: World Bank Open Data, WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT.