Merchandise imports in Lesotho
Lesotho: Merchandise imports was 2.00 billion constant US$ in 2011. ▲ Rising
Latest (2011)
2.00 billion constant US$
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
21st
of 45 countries
All-time high
2.10 billion constant US$
in 2009
All-time low
487.74 million constant US$
in 1987
Years of data
25
1987–2011
Merchandise imports in Lesotho, 1987–2011
Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in constant US$.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 2.00 billion constant US$ for merchandise imports in 2011.
The figure is down 0.5% on the previous year and up 183.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Lesotho peaked at 2.10 billion constant US$ in 2009 and was at its lowest, 487.74 million constant US$, in 1987.
Lesotho ranks 21st of 45 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Merchandise imports in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | constant US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 487.74 million constant US$ | — |
| 1988 | 561.96 million constant US$ | +15.2% |
| 1989 | 588.39 million constant US$ | +4.7% |
| 1990 | 577.95 million constant US$ | -1.8% |
| 1991 | 750.75 million constant US$ | +29.9% |
| 1992 | 787.35 million constant US$ | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 743.14 million constant US$ | -5.6% |
| 1994 | 725.04 million constant US$ | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 758.68 million constant US$ | +4.6% |
| 1996 | 802.76 million constant US$ | +5.8% |
| 1997 | 867.22 million constant US$ | +8.0% |
| 1998 | 755.93 million constant US$ | -12.8% |
| 1999 | 711.62 million constant US$ | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 665.83 million constant US$ | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 705.30 million constant US$ | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 890.77 million constant US$ | +26.3% |
| 2003 | 1.15 billion constant US$ | +29.3% |
| 2004 | 1.43 billion constant US$ | +24.4% |
| 2005 | 1.43 billion constant US$ | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 1.48 billion constant US$ | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.65 billion constant US$ | +11.7% |
| 2008 | 1.74 billion constant US$ | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 2.10 billion constant US$ | +20.6% |
| 2010 | 2.01 billion constant US$ | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 2.00 billion constant US$ | -0.5% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.00 billion constant US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.16 billion constant US$, 63% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.00 billion constant US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.26 billion constant US$, 1.6× the median. (40 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 546.03 million constant US$ | 487.74 million constant US$ | 588.39 million constant US$ | 3 |
| 1990s | 748.04 million constant US$ | 577.95 million constant US$ | 867.22 million constant US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.32 billion constant US$ | 665.83 million constant US$ | 2.10 billion constant US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.00 billion constant US$ | 2.00 billion constant US$ | 2.01 billion constant US$ | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More trade data for Lesotho
- Commodity Net Export Price Index, Individual Commodities Weighted by 121.31 (2025)
- Commodity Net Export Price Index, Individual Commodities Weighted by 103.15 (2025)
- Commodity Export Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 99.45 (2025)
- Commodity Export Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 73.42 (2025)
- Commodity Import Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 96.41 (2025)
- Commodity Import Price Index, Individual Commodites Weighted by Ratio 77.44 (2025)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, Percent of GDP 1.5 (2024)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), per 14.79 units per person (2024)
- Imports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), per 0.0145 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Exports of low carbon technology products, US dollar (World), gaps 7.83 million (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Lesotho?
- Merchandise imports in Lesotho was 2.00 billion constant US$ in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2.10 billion constant US$ in 2009.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 487.74 million constant US$ in 1987.
- How does Lesotho rank for merchandise imports?
- Lesotho ranks 21st out of 45 countries with data for 2011.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 183.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Merchandise imports (constant US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total merchandise imports, cif (includes freight and insurance costs) in 1987 constant US dollars.