Total government debt in Lesotho

Lesotho: Total government debt was 7.05 billion current LCU in 2011. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2011)
7.05 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 20.7%
World rank
38th
of 44 countries
All-time high
7.88 billion current LCU
in 2001
All-time low
81.32 million current LCU
in 1980
Years of data
32
1980–2011

Total government debt in Lesotho, 1980–2011

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B1980199520111980: 81.3M current LCU1981: 119.5M current LCU1982: 134.7M current LCU1983: 148.0M current LCU1984: 170.3M current LCU1985: 200.8M current LCU1986: 233.5M current LCU1987: 804.9M current LCU1988: 1.0B current LCU1989: 1.2B current LCU1990: 1.3B current LCU1991: 1.4B current LCU1992: 612.7M current LCU1993: 2.0B current LCU1994: 2.1B current LCU1995: 2.3B current LCU1996: 2.9B current LCU1997: 3.1B current LCU1998: 3.8B current LCU1999: 4.7B current LCU2000: 5.6B current LCU2001: 7.9B current LCU2002: 6.5B current LCU2003: 5.7B current LCU2004: 4.8B current LCU2005: 4.9B current LCU2006: 5.2B current LCU2007: 7.1B current LCU2008: 6.4B current LCU2009: 6.2B current LCU2010: 5.8B current LCU2011: 7.1B current LCU

Source: World Bank country economists. Measured in current LCU.

Analysis

In 2011, total government debt in Lesotho stood at 7.05 billion current LCU.

That represents a change of up 20.7% on the previous year and down 10.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total government debt in Lesotho peaked at 7.88 billion current LCU in 2001 and was at its lowest, 81.32 million current LCU, in 1980.

That places Lesotho 38th out of 44 countries with data for 2011, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Total government debt in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Total government debt (current LCU) in Lesotho, 1980 to 2011.
Year current LCU Change
1980 81.32 million current LCU
1981 119.55 million current LCU +47.0%
1982 134.70 million current LCU +12.7%
1983 147.96 million current LCU +9.8%
1984 170.26 million current LCU +15.1%
1985 200.84 million current LCU +18.0%
1986 233.52 million current LCU +16.3%
1987 804.85 million current LCU +244.7%
1988 1.04 billion current LCU +29.4%
1989 1.19 billion current LCU +13.8%
1990 1.29 billion current LCU +8.7%
1991 1.36 billion current LCU +5.7%
1992 612.73 million current LCU -55.0%
1993 1.95 billion current LCU +218.4%
1994 2.06 billion current LCU +5.7%
1995 2.27 billion current LCU +10.1%
1996 2.90 billion current LCU +27.7%
1997 3.06 billion current LCU +5.6%
1998 3.79 billion current LCU +24.0%
1999 4.69 billion current LCU +23.6%
2000 5.55 billion current LCU +18.4%
2001 7.88 billion current LCU +41.9%
2002 6.53 billion current LCU -17.1%
2003 5.71 billion current LCU -12.6%
2004 4.76 billion current LCU -16.6%
2005 4.94 billion current LCU +3.8%
2006 5.16 billion current LCU +4.5%
2007 7.10 billion current LCU +37.4%
2008 6.43 billion current LCU -9.4%
2009 6.15 billion current LCU -4.3%
2010 5.84 billion current LCU -5.1%
2011 7.05 billion current LCU +20.7%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's 7.05 billion current LCU is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 676.14 billion current LCU, 1% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's 7.05 billion current LCU is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 525.00 billion current LCU, 1% of the median. (39 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Total government debt in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1987 +244.7% 233.52 million current LCU 804.85 million current LCU
1993 +218.4% 612.73 million current LCU 1.95 billion current LCU

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 411.99 million current LCU 81.32 million current LCU 1.19 billion current LCU 10
1990s 2.40 billion current LCU 612.73 million current LCU 4.69 billion current LCU 10
2000s 6.02 billion current LCU 4.76 billion current LCU 7.88 billion current LCU 10
2010s 6.45 billion current LCU 5.84 billion current LCU 7.05 billion current LCU 2

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 35 Namibia 26.52 billion current LCU compare
  2. 36 Botswana 18.58 billion current LCU compare
  3. 37 Eswatini 7.26 billion current LCU compare
  4. 39 Zimbabwe 6.33 billion current LCU compare
  5. 40 Seychelles 4.81 billion current LCU compare
  6. 41 Congo 1.43 billion current LCU compare

See the full ranking of 44 places →

More science & technology data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is total government debt in Lesotho?
Total government debt in Lesotho was 7.05 billion current LCU in 2011, according to World Bank country economists.
What is the highest total government debt recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 7.88 billion current LCU in 2001.
What is the lowest total government debt recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 81.32 million current LCU in 1980.
How does Lesotho rank for total government debt?
Lesotho ranks 38th out of 44 countries with data for 2011.
Is total government debt rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from World Bank country economists, published as part of Total government debt (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Total government debt in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on World Bank country economists. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://science-tech.statizoid.com/stat/total-government-debt-current-lcu/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Total government debt (current LCU)
Unit
current LCU
Source
World Bank country economists
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
44 places, 1,020 data points, 1965–2011
Last refreshed

Debt is the entire stock of direct government fixed-term contractual obligations to others outstanding on a particular date. It includes domestic and foreign liabilities such as currency and money deposits, securities other than shares, and loans. It is the gross amount of government liabilities reduced by the amount of equity and financial derivatives held by the government. Because debt is a stock rather than a flow, it is measured as of a given date, usually the last day of the fiscal year. Data are in current local currency.