| Economy | Lesotho |
 = Fields  = World Records  = Dictionary  = Bar graph  = Distribution map  = Fields History  = Definitions |
Economy - overview:
|
Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho relies on remittances from miners employed in South Africa and customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union for the majority of government revenue. However, the government has recently strengthened its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties. Completion of a major hydropower facility in January 1998 permitted the sale of water to South Africa and generated royalties for Lesotho. Lesotho produces about 90% of its own electrical power needs. As the number of mineworkers has declined steadily over the past several years, a small manufacturing base has developed based on farm products that support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries, as well as a rapidly expanding apparel-assembly sector. The latter has grown significantly mainly due to Lesotho qualifying for the trade benefits contained in the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act. The economy is still primarily based on subsistence agriculture, especially livestock, although drought has decreased agricultural activity. The extreme inequality in the distribution of income remains a major drawback. Lesotho has signed an Interim Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF. In July 2007, Lesotho signed a Millennium Challenge Account Compact with the US worth $362.5 million. |
GDP (purchasing power parity):
|
$3.37 billion (2008 est.)
$3.155 billion (2007)
$3.011 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars |
GDP - per capita (PPP):
|
$1,600 (2008 est.)
$1,500 (2007 est.)
$1,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars |
GDP (official exchange rate):
|
$1.652 billion (2008 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate:
|
6.8% (2008 est.)
4.8% (2007 est.)
6.2% (2006 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 15.1%
industry: 46.7%
services: 38.2% (2008 est.) |
Investment (gross fixed):
|
39.2% of GDP (2008 est.) |
Population below poverty line:
|
49% (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 0.9%
highest 10%: 43.4% (2002 est.) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
|
63.2 (1995) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
|
10% (2008 est.) |
Central bank discount rate:
|
12.82% (31 December 2007) |
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
|
14.13% (31 December 2007) |
Stock of money:
|
$439.2 million (31 December 2007) |
Stock of money - per capita:
|
207 USD per capita |
Stock of quasi money:
|
$160.2 million (31 December 2007) |
Stock of quasi money - per capita:
|
76 USD per capita |
Stock of domestic credit:
|
NA |
Stock of domestic credit - per capita:
|
void |
Labor force:
|
838,000 (2000 est.) |
Labor force participation rate:
|
39.33 % of population |
Labor force - by occupation:
|
agriculture: 86% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa
industry and services: 14% (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate:
|
45% (2002) |
Budget:
|
revenues: $523 million
expenditures: $479.5 million (2008 est.) |
Budget revenues per capita:
|
246 USD per capita |
Public debt:
|
void |
Industries:
|
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism |
Industrial production growth rate:
|
12% (2008 est.) |
Electricity - production:
|
200 million kWh
note: electricity supplied by South Africa (2006 est.) |
Electricity - production per capita:
|
94 kWh per capita |
Electricity - consumption:
|
226 million kWh (2006 est.) |
Electricity - consumption - per capita:
|
107 kWh per capita |
Electricity - exports:
|
0 kWh (2007 est.) |
Electricity - imports:
|
50 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by South Africa (2007 est.) |
Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
Oil - production per capita:
|
void |
Oil - consumption:
|
1,400 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
Oil - consumption - per capita:
|
0.24 bbl/year per capita |
Oil - exports:
|
0 bbl/day (2005) |
Oil - imports:
|
1,500 bbl/day (2005) |
Oil - proved reserves:
|
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.) |
Natural gas - production:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - production per capita:
|
void |
Natural gas - consumption:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption - per capita:
|
void |
Natural gas - exports:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - imports:
|
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves:
|
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
Agriculture - products:
|
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock |
Current account balance:
|
$666 million (2008 est.) |
Current account balance - per capita:
|
313 USD per capita |
Exports:
|
$1.06 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
Exports per capita:
|
498 USD per capita |
Exports - commodities:
|
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000) |
Exports - partners:
|
US 71.5%, Belgium 25.6%, Canada 1.2% (2007) |
Imports:
|
$1.339 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
Imports per capita:
|
629 USD per capita |
Imports - commodities:
|
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products |
Imports - partners:
|
China 30%, Hong Kong 29.6%, India 10%, South Korea 6.6%, Germany 6.4%, Pakistan 4.6% (2007) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
|
$799 million (31 December 2008 est.) |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold - per capita:
|
375 USD per capita |
Debt - external:
|
$628 million (31 December 2008 est.) |
Debt - external - per capita:
|
295 USD per capita |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home - per capita:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
|
void |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad - per capita:
|
void |
Market value of publicly traded shares:
|
void |
Market value of publicly traded shares - per capita:
|
void |
Economic aid - donor:
|
void |
Economic aid - recipient:
|
$68.82 million (2005) |
Economic aid - recipient per capita:
|
33 USD per capita |
Currency (code):
|
loti (LSL); South African rand (ZAR) |
Exchange rates:
|
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004) |
Fiscal year:
|
1 April - 31 March |
|
= Fields = World Records = Dictionary = Bar graph = Distribution map = Fields History = Definitions |
|
Home 
Geographic Names
Chiefs of State
Intl. Organizations
Intl. Environmental Agree.
Other References
