2023 Edition

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 Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). 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 but stepped down in May 2020 after being implicated in his estranged wife’s murder. He was succeeded by Moseketsi MAJORO. In October 2022, Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE was inaugurated as prime minister and head of a three-party coalition featuring his Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), then Monyane MOLELEKI-led Alliance of Democrats (AD), and the Selibe MOCHOBOROANE-led Movement for Economic Change (MEC).

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

highest point

Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

lowest point

junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m

mean elevation

2,161 m

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

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

Irrigated land

12 sq km (2013)

Land boundaries

border countries

South Africa 1,106 km

total

1,106 km

Land use

agricultural land

76.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)

forest

1.5% (2018 est.)

other

22.4% (2018 est.)

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Major rivers (by length in km)

Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 sq km)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Natural resources

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

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 as shown in this population distribution map

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Age structure

0-14 years

32.4% (male 360,327/female 355,863)

15-64 years

62.21% (male 688,373/female 686,911)

65 years and over

5.39% (2023 est.) (male 44,313/female 74,859)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

1.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

3.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

23 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Child marriage

men married by age 18

1.9% (2018 est.)

women married by age 15

1%

women married by age 18

16.4%

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

10.5% (2018)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

64.9% (2018)

Current health expenditure

11.8% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

53.7% (2023 est.)

Death rate

10.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Demographic profile

Lesotho faces great socioeconomic challenges. Almost half of its population lives below the poverty line as of 2017, and the country’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second highest in the world as of 2021. 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. Lesotho’s migration history is linked to its unique geography; it is surrounded by South Africa with which it shares linguistic and cultural traits. Lesotho at one time had more of its workforce employed outside its borders than any other country. Today remittances equal about 20% of its GDP. With few job options at home, a high rate of poverty, and higher wages available across the border, labor migration to South Africa replaced agriculture as the prevailing Basotho source of income decades ago. The majority of Basotho migrants were single men contracted to work as gold miners in South Africa. However, migration trends changed in the 1990s, and fewer men found mining jobs in South Africa because of declining gold prices, stricter immigration policies, and a preference for South African workers. Although men still dominate cross-border labor migration, more women are working in South Africa, mostly as domestics, because they are widows or their husbands are unemployed. Internal rural-urban flows have also become more frequent, with more women migrating within the country to take up jobs in the garment industry or moving to care for loved ones with HIV/AIDS. Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

6.8

potential support ratio

14.7 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

62.1

youth dependency ratio

55.3

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 77.2% of population

improved: total

total: 82.6% of population

improved: urban

urban: 95.7% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 22.8% of population

unimproved: total

total: 17.4% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 4.3% of population

Education expenditures

8.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Ethnic groups

Sotho 99.7%, other 0.3% (includes Kwena, Nguni (Hlubi and Phuthi), Zulu)

Gross reproduction rate

1.42 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

41.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male

52.5 deaths/1,000 live births

total

47 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

62 years

male

57.9 years

total population

59.9 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

88.8% (2021)

male

72.9%

total population

81%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2023)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

Major urban areas - population

202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

566 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

female

24.2 years

male

23.2 years

total

23.7 years (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.9 years (2014 est.)

note

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Nationality

adjective

Basotho

noun

Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

Net migration rate

-4.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

16.6% (2016)

Physicians density

0.47 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Population

2,210,646 (2023 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 as shown in this population distribution map

Population growth rate

0.76% (2023 est.)

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.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 62.4% of population

improved: total

total: 71.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 93.6% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 37.6% of population

unimproved: total

total: 28.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 6.4% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

13 years (2017)

male

12 years

total

12 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.59 male(s)/female

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

female

5.4% (2020 est.)

male

43.1% (2020 est.)

total

24.3% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.88 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

30.4% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

etymology

in the Sesotho language the name means "[place of] red sandstones"

geographic coordinates

29 19 S, 27 29 E

name

Maseru

time difference

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

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

yes

citizenship by descent only

yes

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

Constitution

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

history

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

Country name

conventional long form

Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form

Lesotho

etymology

the name translates as "Land of the Sesotho Speakers"

former

Basutoland

local long form

Kingdom of Lesotho

local short form

Lesotho

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Maria E. BREWER (since 10 March 2022)

email address and website

USConsularMaseru@state.govhttps://ls.usembassy.gov/

embassy

254 Kingsway Avenue, Maseru

FAX

[266] 22310116

mailing address

2340 Maseru Place, Washington DC  20521-2340

telephone

[266] 22312666

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Tumisang MOSOTHO (since 16 September 2022)

email address and website

lesothoembassy@verizon.nethttps://www.gov.ls/

FAX

[1] (202) 234-6815

telephone

[1] (202) 797-5533

Executive branch

cabinet

consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 18 other ministers; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the National Assembly 

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

head of government

Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE (28 October 2022)

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 mokorotlo, a traditional Basotho straw hat and national symbol; the redesigned 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, 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; military courts

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: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)

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 - RFP 38.9%, DC 24.7%, ABC 7.1%, BAP 5.4%, AD 4.0%, MEC 3.2%, LCD 2.3%, SR 2.1%, BNP 1.4%, PFD 0.9%, BCM 0.8%, MPS 0.8%, MIP 0.7%; seats by party - RFP 56, DC 29, ABC 8, BAP 6, AD 5, MEC 4, LCD 3, SR 2, BNP 1, PFD 1,BCM 1, MPS 1, NIP 1, HOPE 1, TBD 1; composition - men 88, women 32, percent of women 26.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 22.9%

elections

Senate - last appointed by the king in November 2022 (next to be appointed 2028)National Assembly - last held on 7 October 2022 (next to be held in February 2028)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR

name

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

note

note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Maloti-Drakensberg Park

total World Heritage Sites

1 (mixed)

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 [Nkaku KABI]Alliance of Democrats or AD [Ntoi RAPPA]Basotho Action Party or BAP [Nqosa MAHAO]Basotho National Party or BNP [Machesetsa MOFOMOBE]Democratic Congress or DC [Mathibeli MOKHOTHU]Democratic Party of Lesotho or DPL [Limpho TAU]Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Moipone PIET]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]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

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

Budget

expenditures

$1.21 billion (2020 est.)

revenues

$1.054 billion (2020 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

B (2019)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Current account balance

Current account balance 2019

-$72.308 million (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

-$18.211 million (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

-$90.886 million (2021 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$834 million (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$868 million (2019 est.)

Economic overview

lower middle-income economy surrounded by South Africa; environmentally fragile and politically unstable; key infrastructure and renewable energy investments; dire poverty; urban job and income losses due to COVID-19; systemic corruption

Exchange rates

Currency

maloti (LSL) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

13.324 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

13.234 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

14.448 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

16.459 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

14.779 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$1.093 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2020

$902.123 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2021

$1.08 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

diamonds, clothing and apparel, wool, low-voltage protection equipment, wheat flours (2021)

Exports - partners

United States 29%, Belgium 26%, South Africa 25%, Switzerland 6% (2019)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

40.8% (2017 est.)

government consumption

26.4% (2017 est.)

household consumption

69.2% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-54.4% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

31.4% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

-13.4% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

5.8% (2016 est.)

industry

39.2% (2016 est.)

services

54.9% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.462 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2017

44.9 (2017 est.)

note

56 (1986-87)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

39.4% (2003)

lowest 10%

1%

Imports

Imports 2019

$2.23 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$1.98 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2021

$2.221 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, poultry meats (2019)

Imports - partners

South Africa 85%, China 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

8.52% (2021 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

5.19% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

4.98% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

6.05% (2021 est.)

Labor force

955,600 (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

49.7% (2017 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

33.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$5.638 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$5.167 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$5.236 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

0.93% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-8.36% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

1.35% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$2,500 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$2,300 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$2,300 (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$657.668 million (31 December 2017 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2018

$728.528 million (31 December 2018 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019

$774.095 million (31 December 2019 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

18.47% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2019

22.44% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate 2020

24.56% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

24.6% (2021 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

43.8% NA

male

32.8% NA

total

37.4% (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

912.8 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2019 est.)

imports

541.7 million kWh (2019 est.)

installed generating capacity

74,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

129.9 million kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

37.7% (2021)

electrification - total population

50.3% (2021)

electrification - urban areas

80.6% (2021)

population without electricity

1 million (2020)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

99.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

7.823 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

5,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

5,118 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

0.2 (2020 est.)

total

5,060 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; most private broadcast media transmitters are connected to government radio signal towers; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2019)

Internet country code

.ls

Internet users

percent of population

48% (2021 est.)

total

1.104 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line is less than 1 per 100 subscriptions; mobile-cellular service subscribership is 80 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

until late 2020, Lesotho’s telecom regulator maintained a market duopoly which is focused on fixed-line services; competition was insufficient to promote effective price reductions for consumers, while the regulator had no mechanisms in place to monitor the telcos to ensure quality of service and fair pricing for consumers; the small size of the country’s population provided little incentive for new players to enter the market; a positive outcome for consumers was the deployment in early 2021 of a service to monitor traffic and billing; this ended the practice whereby the regulator was dependent on telcos submitting data about their performance, billing, and other matters; the regulator has also turned its attention to addressing multiple SIM ownership and stemming incidences of crimes committed using unregistered SIMs; in May 2022, it instructed the country’s Mobile Network Operators to begin registering SIM cards on their networks from the following month; fixed-wireless 5G trials began in early 2019 (2022)

international

country code - 266; Internet accessibility has improved with several submarine fiber optic cables that land on African east and west coasts, but the country's land locked position makes access prices expensive; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

(2021 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions

9,559 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

80 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

1,821,374 (2021 est.)

Airports

24 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

3

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

21

note

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

7P

Roadways

paved

1,069 km (2011)

total

5,940 km (2011)

unpaved

4,871 km (2011)

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; the LDF is a small force comprised of about a half dozen infantry companies; it began in 1964 as the Police Mobile Unit (PMU); the PMU was designated as the Lesotho Paramilitary Force in 1980 and became the Royal Lesotho Defense Force in 1986; it was subsequently renamed the Lesotho Defense Force in 1993 (2023)

Military and security forces

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing)  (2023)

note

note: the Lesotho Mounted Police Service is responsible for internal security and reports to the Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 2,000 personnel (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the LDF has a small inventory of older and second-hand equipment from a variety of countries (2023)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2018

2.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military Expenditures 2019

1.8% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

1.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women (women can serve in combat arms); no conscription (2023)

Disputes - international

Lesotho-South Africa: 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  

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

2.51 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

2.56 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

17.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Climate

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

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

Food insecurity

severe localized food insecurity

due to high food prices and economic downturn - food insecurity conditions are primarily underpinned by the high food prices and a slow economic recovery that is impinging on households’ economic capacity to access food; Lesotho  is a net importer of key staple food commodities and energy, domestic prices have been largely influenced by the high level of international prices (2023)

Land use

agricultural land

76.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)

forest

1.5% (2018 est.)

other

22.4% (2018 est.)

Major rivers (by length in km)

Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 sq km)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

3.34% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

3.02 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

3.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

30.4% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

73,457 tons (2006 est.)