Lesotho: Exports, percent of GDP

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Lesotho

Exports of goods and services as percent of GDP

 Latest value 47.22
 Year 2022
 Measure percent
 Data availability 1960 - 2022
 Average 27.73
 Min - Max 10.86 - 53.25
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2022 is 47.22 percent, an increase from 45.35 percent in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 46.53 percent, based on data from 161 countries. Historically, the average for Lesotho from 1960 to 2022 is 27.73 percent. The minimum value, 10.86 percent, was reached in 1966 while the maximum of 53.25 percent was recorded in 2007. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
Lesotho - Exports, percent of GDP - Recent values chart

Historical series
Lesotho - Exports, percent of GDP - historical chart - 1960-2022




The exports of Lesotho and other countries are calculated as the total amount of goods and services produced at home and sold abroad. Exports are often reported as percent of GDP so that we can evaluate their magnitude relative to the size of the economy.

If exports are about 15 percent or less of GDP the economy is considered relatively closed as only 15 percent of its products are sold internationally. That, for example, applies to the U.S. In contrast, many small European countries export over 40 percent of their production. They are considered more open to international trade.
Definition: Exports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services provided to the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.

Selected articles from our guide:

What factors determine the exchange rates

International lending and sovereign debt

All articles



 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 Terms of trade 77.60 2021 percent
 Trade openness 145.74 2022 percent
 Financial openness -1.242 2021 index points
 Exports, percent of GDP 47.22 2022 percent
 Exports, billion dollars 1.08 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Growth of exports -1.66 2022 percent
 Imports, percent of GDP 98.52 2022 percent
 Imports, billion dollars 2.26 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Foreign Direct Investment, percent of GDP -1.25 2023 percent
 Foreign Direct Investment, billion dollars -0.01 2022 billion U.S. dollars
 Portfolio investment inflows, equities 0.18 2023 million dollars (current)
 Current account, percent of GDP -6.80 2022 percent
 Current account, in dollars -0.12 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Trade balance, percent of GDP -51.29 2022 percent
 Trade balance, in dollars -1.17 2023 billion U.S. dollars
 Reserves 0.77 2019 billion U.S. dollars
 Remittances, percent of GDP 24.12 2023 percent
 Remittances 493.52 2023 million U.S. dollars
 Net errors and omissions 64.85 2023 million USD
 External debt 67.12 2022 percent
 Short-term external debt 0.80 2022 percent
 Short-term debt to reserves 0.05 2019 percent
 Foreign exchange reserves 0.78 4/2020 billion
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