Lesotho: Primary budget balance
* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Lesotho |
Primary budget balance, percent of GDP |
|---|---|
| Latest value | 10.28 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Measure | percent |
| Data availability | 1990 - 2024 |
| Average | 1.64 |
| Min - Max | -15.29 - 14.12 |
| Source | The World Bank |
| Available for | Data download |
The latest value from 2024 is 10.28 percent, an increase from 9.25 percent in 2023. In comparison, the world average is -1.04 percent, based on data from 179 countries. Historically, the average for Lesotho from 1990 to 2024 is 1.64 percent. The minimum value, -15.29 percent, was reached in 1999 while the maximum of 14.12 percent was recorded in 2006.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
| Recent values | Lesotho: Primary budget balance |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 10.28 |
| 2023 | 9.25 |
| 2022 | -4.62 |
| 2021 | -3.59 |
| 2020 | 2.72 |
| 2019 | -4.28 |
| 2018 | -3.22 |
| 2017 | -1.04 |
Definition: The difference between a government's total revenue and its total expenditure, excluding interest payments on its outstanding debt. Source: Kose, M. Ayhan, Sergio Kurlat, Franziska Ohnsorge, and Naotaka Sugawara. 2022. "A Cross-Country Database of Fiscal Space." Journal of International Money and Finance 128 (November): 102682.
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| Related indicators | Latest | Reference | Measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending, percent of GDP | 36.43 | 2025 | percent |
| Government spending, in dollars | 0.94 | 2025 | billion U.S. dollars |
| Fiscal balance, percent of GDP | 9.04 | 2024 | percent |
| Primary budget balance | 10.28 | 2024 | percent |
| Tax revenue | 35.42 | 2024 | percent |
| Taxes on goods and services | 32.71 | 2024 | percent |
| Taxes on international trade | 12.95 | 2024 | percent |
| Income and profits taxes | 20.39 | 2024 | percent |
| Foreign aid | 172.32 | 2023 | million U.S. dollars |
| Government debt | 56.83 | 2024 | percent |
| Government debt in foreign currency, percent | 82.02 | 2024 | percent |
| Government debt held by non-residents | 82.02 | 2024 | percent |