Summary
- Exports
- $1.1billion
- Imports
- $1.9billion
- Trade balance
- -$811million
Products
What it exports
Diamonds (38.9%) and men's suits and trousers (6%) together make up 45% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (10.2%) and other knitted fabric (4.7%) together make up 14.9% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $415 million | $326 thousand |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $190 million | $18 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $144 million | $29 million |
| 51 · Wool | $69 million | $149 thousand |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $47 million | $112 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $37 million | $16 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $31 million | $46 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $24 million | $163 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $24 million | $60 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $18 million | $52 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $13 million | $111 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $9 million | $4 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $8 million | $19 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $4 million | $16 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $3 million | $6 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $3 million | $54 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $3 million | $33 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $3 million | $8 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $2 million | $26 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $2 million | $100 thousand |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $2 million | $29 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $2 million | $18 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $2 million | $12 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $1 million | $26 million |
| 65 · Hats | $892 thousand | $1 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $872 thousand | $28 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $823 thousand | $67 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $650 thousand | $8 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $501 thousand | $669 thousand |
| 44 · Wood | $464 thousand | $23 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $451 thousand | $26 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $356 thousand | $11 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $326 thousand | $33 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $283 thousand | $16 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $256 thousand | $98 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $253 thousand | $5 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $244 thousand | $2 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $216 thousand | $72 thousand |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $206 thousand | $10 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $205 thousand | $3 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $203 thousand | $26 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $156 thousand | $276 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $141 thousand | $16 million |
| 70 · Glass | $130 thousand | $4 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $128 thousand | $46 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $121 thousand | $17 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $96 thousand | $61 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $87 thousand | $23 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $75 thousand | $6 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $59 thousand | $13 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $57 thousand | $3 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $51 thousand | $18 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $51 thousand | $8 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $46 thousand | $3 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $42 thousand | $10 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $41 thousand | $74 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $40 thousand | $8 million |
| 74 · Copper | $36 thousand | $4 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $35 thousand | $17 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $33 thousand | $7 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $30 thousand | $3 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $22 thousand | $11 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $18 thousand | $7 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $17 thousand | $2 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $15 thousand | $5 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $15 thousand | $180 thousand |
| 69 · Ceramics | $13 thousand | $5 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $9 thousand | $14 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $5 thousand | $6 thousand |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $5 thousand | $17 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $3 thousand | $19 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $3 thousand | $2 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $2 thousand | $48 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $2 thousand | $21 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $2 thousand | $3 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $2 thousand | $25 thousand |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $2 thousand | $2 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $1 thousand | $2 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $709 | $1 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $479 | $30 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $403 | $170 thousand |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $371 | $873 thousand |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $369 | $22 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $273 | $2 thousand |
| 78 · Lead | $223 | $23 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $34 | $3 thousand |
| 79 · Zinc | $32 | $9 thousand |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $10 | $9 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $9 | $512 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $5 | $88 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $1 | $33 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $6 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $0 | $1 million |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $127 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $6 thousand |
Trading partners
South Africa is its main destination (37% of exports) and source (77.8% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 394 | 37% | Land |
| Belgium | 275 | 25.8% | Air |
| United States | 256 | 24.1% | Sea |
| India | 45.9 | 4.3% | Air |
| China | 29.3 | 2.8% | Sea |
| Canada | 9.5 | 0.89% | Sea |
| Germany | 8.7 | 0.81% | Sea |
| France | 7.3 | 0.69% | Air |
| Eswatini | 6.5 | 0.61% | Sea |
| Mexico | 5.6 | 0.52% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 1.5 | 77.8% | Land |
| China | 0.2 | 10.7% | Sea |
| Taiwan | 0.06 | 3.3% | Sea |
| India | 0.03 | 1.5% | Sea |
| Japan | 0.02 | 1.1% | Sea |
| Mozambique | 0.01 | 0.58% | Sea |
| Zambia | 0.01 | 0.53% | Sea |
| Hong Kong | 0.01 | 0.48% | Sea |
| Botswana | 0.01 | 0.48% | Air |
| United States | 0.01 | 0.46% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Lesotho accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0% in 2000.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 6-fold since 2000
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 1.1
- Imports 1.9
- Balance -0.8
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1996 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1997 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1998 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 1999 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| 2000 | $176 million | $342 million | -$167 million |
| 2001 | $454 million | $561 million | -$106 million |
| 2002 | $572 million | $713 million | -$141 million |
| 2003 | $846 million | $1.1 billion | -$246 million |
| 2004 | $1 billion | $1.1 billion | -$56 million |
| 2005 | $606 million | $825 million | -$219 million |
| 2006 | $743 million | $1 billion | -$257 million |
| 2007 | $957 million | $1.1 billion | -$126 million |
| 2008 | $893 million | $1 billion | -$115 million |
| 2009 | $772 million | $1.1 billion | -$324 million |
| 2010 | $778 million | $1.3 billion | -$523 million |
| 2011 | $1.1 billion | $1.5 billion | -$332 million |
| 2012 | $976 million | $1.6 billion | -$596 million |
| 2013 | $904 million | $1.7 billion | -$843 million |
| 2014 | $1.4 billion | $1.6 billion | -$213 million |
| 2015 | $1.1 billion | $1.5 billion | -$340 million |
| 2016 | $966 million | $1.4 billion | -$469 million |
| 2017 | $1.2 billion | $1.3 billion | -$135 million |
| 2018 | $1 billion | $1.6 billion | -$552 million |
| 2019 | $1.1 billion | $1.7 billion | -$537 million |
| 2020 | $964 million | $1.3 billion | -$349 million |
| 2021 | $1.1 billion | $1.7 billion | -$585 million |
| 2022 | $1.2 billion | $1.9 billion | -$712 million |
| 2023 | $1.1 billion | $1.7 billion | -$576 million |
| 2024 | $1.1 billion | $1.9 billion | -$811 million |
World rank
Lesotho rose from 166th to 157th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 166th in 2000
- 157th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | — |
| 1996 | — |
| 1997 | — |
| 1998 | — |
| 1999 | — |
| 2000 | 166th |
| 2001 | 149th |
| 2002 | 143rd |
| 2003 | 138th |
| 2004 | 139th |
| 2005 | 156th |
| 2006 | 155th |
| 2007 | 151st |
| 2008 | 157th |
| 2009 | 158th |
| 2010 | 159th |
| 2011 | 157th |
| 2012 | 159th |
| 2013 | 163rd |
| 2014 | 153rd |
| 2015 | 154th |
| 2016 | 158th |
| 2017 | 156th |
| 2018 | 157th |
| 2019 | 156th |
| 2020 | 158th |
| 2021 | 161st |
| 2022 | 160th |
| 2023 | 158th |
| 2024 | 157th |
What it sells
Gems and precious metals became its top export group: from 11% to 39%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 10%
- Mechanical machinery 2%
- Cotton 3%
- Home textiles and used clothing 3%
- Electrical and electronic equipment 4%
- Wool 7%
- Woven clothing 14%
- Knitted clothing 18%
- Gems and precious metals 39%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gems and precious metals | 0% | 38.9% |
| Knitted clothing | 0% | 17.9% |
| Woven clothing | 0% | 13.5% |
| Wool | 0% | 6.5% |
| Electrical and electronic equipment | 0% | 4.4% |
| Home textiles and used clothing | 0% | 3.5% |
| Cotton | 0% | 2.9% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0% | 2.3% |
| Other | 0% | 10.2% |
Who it trades with
The United States went from 27% to 9% of Lesotho's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- South Africa 63%
- Belgium 9%
- United States 9%
- China 8%
- India 3%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 0% | 63% |
| Belgium | 0% | 9.4% |
| United States | 0% | 9% |
| China | 0% | 7.8% |
| India | 0% | 2.5% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeLargest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.