2015 Edition

Background

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE 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 Batswana 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 of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 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.

Area

land

30,355 sq km

total

30,355 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Climate

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

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

lowest point

junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m

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

Environment - 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

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

21.79 cu m/yr (2000)

total

0.04 cu km/yr (46%/46%/9%)

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Geography - note

landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

Irrigated land

26.37 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries (1)

South Africa 1,106 km

total

1,106 km

Land use

arable land 10.1%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 65.9%

agricultural land

76.1%

forest

1.5%

other

22.4% (2011 est.)

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Total renewable water resources

3.02 cu km (2011)

Age structure

0-14 years

32.67% (male 319,592/female 316,672)

15-24 years

19.73% (male 182,697/female 201,510)

25-54 years

37.2% (male 354,193/female 370,287)

55-64 years

4.98% (male 51,693/female 45,234)

65 years and over

5.43% (male 53,706/female 52,117) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

25.47 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Child labor - children ages 5-14

percentage

23% (2000 est.)

total number

103,020

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

13.5% (2010)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

47% (2009/10)

Death rate

14.89 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

6.9%

potential support ratio

14.4% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

67.3%

youth dependency ratio

60.3%

Drinking water source

urban: 94.6% of population

rural: 77% of population

total: 81.8% of population

urban: 5.4% of population

rural: 23% of population

total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

13% of GDP (2008)

Ethnic groups

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,

Health expenditures

11.5% of GDP (2013)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

23.39% (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

9,300 (2014 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

314,600 (2014 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2006)

Infant mortality rate

female

45.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

52.82 deaths/1,000 live births

total

49.03 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

52.97 years (2015 est.)

male

52.76 years

total population

52.86 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

88.3% (2015 est.)

male

70.1%

total population

79.4%

Major urban areas - population

MASERU (capital) 267,000 (2014)

Median age

female

23.8 years (2015 est.)

male

23.8 years

total

23.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Basotho

noun

Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

Net migration rate

-7.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

11.9% (2014)

Population

1,947,701

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 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.32% (2015 est.)

Religions

Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 37.3% of population

rural: 27.6% of population

total: 30.3% of population

urban: 62.7% of population

rural: 72.4% of population

total: 69.7% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2012)

male

11 years

total

11 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years

0.91 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.96 male(s)/female

55-64 years

1.14 male(s)/female

65 years and over

1.03 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.72 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

41.9% (2008 est.)

male

29%

total

34.4%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

3.05% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

27.3% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

geographic coordinates

29 19 S, 27 29 E

name

Maseru

time difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version); amended 2001 (2013)

Country name

conventional long form

Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form

Lesotho

former

Basutoland

local long form

Kingdom of Lesotho

local short form

Lesotho

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Matthew T. HARRINGTON (since October 2014)

embassy

254 Kingsway Road, Maseru West (Consular Section)

FAX

[266] 22 310116

mailing address

P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho

telephone

[266] 22 312666

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Eliachim Molapi SEBATANE (since 2 November 2011)

FAX

[1] (202) 234-6815

telephone

[1] (202) 797-5533

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet

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

elections/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

head of government

Prime Minister Pakalitha MOSISILI (since 18 March 2015)

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

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Independence

4 October 1966 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

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; Courts Martial

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

Legislative branch

description

bicameral Parliament consists of the 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) and the National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - DC 38.8%, ABC 38.1%, LCD, 10.0%, BNP 5.6%, PFD 1.7%, RCL 1.2%, NIP 1.0%, other 3.6%; seats by party - DC 47, ABC 46, LCD 12, BNP 7, PFD 2, RCL 2, NIP 1, MFP 1, BCP 1, LPC 1

elections

last held on 28 February 2015 (next to be held in 2020)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR

name

"Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)

note

adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

National symbol(s)

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

Political parties and leaders

All Basotho Convention or ABC [Motsoahae Thomas THABANE]

Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Thulo MAHLAKENG]

Basotho National Party or BNP [Thesele MASERIBANE]

Democratic Congress or DC [Pakalitha MOSISILI]

Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]

Lesotho Peoples Congress or LPC [Molahlehi LETLOTLO]

Marematlou Freedom Party or MFP [Vincent MALEBO]

National Independent Party or NIP [Kimetso MATHABA]

Popular Front for Democracy of PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]

Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL [Keketso RANTSO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Tsebo MAT?ASA] (pushes for media freedom)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Budget

expenditures

$1.406 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$1.358 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

9.36% (31 December 2012)

10% (31 December 2010)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

10.2% (31 December 2014 est.)

9.92% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

-$143 million (2014 est.)

-$228.3 million (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$929.5 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$916.8 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

63.2 (1995)

56 (1986-87)

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. Rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability. Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity; Lesotho imports 90% 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 44% of total government revenue in 2014. The South African Government also pays royalties 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. Access to credit remains a problem for the private sector. The government maintains a large presence in the economy - government consumption accounted for 37% of GDP in 2014 and the government remains Lesotho's largest employer. 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 may contribute 8.5% to GDP by 2015, according to current forecasts.

Exchange rates

maloti (LSL) per US dollar -

10.6 (2014 est.)

9.64 (2013 est.)

8.2 (2012 est.)

7.26 (2011 est.)

7.32 (2010 est.)

Exports

$824.9 million (2014 est.)

$814.6 million (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

49.9%

government consumption

38.7%

household consumption

84.4%

imports of goods and services

-110.3%

investment in fixed capital

38%

investment in inventories

-0.7%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

7.5%

industry

35.7%

services

56.9% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,800 (2014 est.)

$2,700 (2013 est.)

$2,600 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.2% (2014 est.)

3.5% (2013 est.)

5.3% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.159 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$5.282 billion (2014 est.)

$5.17 billion (2013 est.)

$4.995 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

26.6% of GDP (2014 est.)

32.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

33.9% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

39.4% (2003)

lowest 10%

1%

Imports

$1.931 billion (2014 est.)

$1.78 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Industrial production growth rate

3.3% (2014 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.9% (2014 est.)

4.9% (2013 est.)

Labor force

894,400 (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

86%

industry and services

14%

note

most of the resident population is engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line

49% (1999 est.)

Public debt

NA

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.101 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.055 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$942.6 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$825.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$909.1 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$635.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$38.65 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$37.18 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$425.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)

$380.2 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

55.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

28.1% (2014 est.)

25% (2008 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

270,100 Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

898 million kWh (2011 est.)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

100% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2011 est.)

Electricity - imports

247 million kWh (2011 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

80,000 kW (2011 est.)

Electricity - production

700 million kWh (2011 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2012 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

1,830 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

3,711 bbl/day (2010 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2010 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 (2008)

Internet country code

.ls

Internet users

percent of population

5.3% (2014 est.)

total

102,000

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 1 (2007)

Telephone system

domestic

privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho was tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service dominates the market and is expanding with a subscribership roughly 65 per 100 persons in 2011; rural services are scant

general assessment

rudimentary system consisting of a modest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding

international

country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

3 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

51,200

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

110 (2014 est.)

total

2.1 million

Television broadcast stations

1 (2007)

Airports

24 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

914 to 1,523 m

1

over 3,047 m

1

total

3

under 914 m

1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

16 (2013)

914 to 1,523 m

5

total

21

Roadways

paved

1,069 km

total

5,940 km

unpaved

4,871 km (2011)

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

508,953 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

472,456

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

275,734 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

270,184

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

20,037 (2010 est.)

male

19,110

Military - note

Lesotho's declared policy for its military is the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa

Military branches

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2012)

Military expenditures

1.94% of GDP (2012)

2.3% of GDP (2011)

1.94% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

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

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

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Lesotho is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and for men subjected to forced labor; Basotho women and children are subjected to domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation within Lesotho and South Africa; some Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa for work become victims of forced labor in agriculture and mining or are coerced into committing crimes

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List – Lesotho does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2013, the government initiated several prosecutions for trafficking offenses but did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to address human trafficking; key portions of the 2011 anti-trafficking act remain unimplemented, including the development of formal referral procedures and the establishment of victim care centers; the government continued to rely on NGOs to identify and assist victims, without providing any funding or support for these services (2014)