Summary
- Largest supplier: South Africa
- 77.8%
- Concentration (HHI)
- 6,187
- Products with a supplier above 50%
- 236
- Products with a supplier above 75%
- 198
Concentration index (HHI): 6,187 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 2 suppliers of the same size
Trend
Trend in shares
South Africa went from 0% to 77.8% of what Lesotho buys
Share (%)
- South Africa 77.8%
- China 10.7%
- Taiwan 3.3%
- India 1.5%
- Japan 1.1%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Largest supplier | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | — | — |
| 1996 | — | — |
| 1997 | — | — |
| 1998 | — | — |
| 1999 | — | — |
| 2000 | South Africa | 75.6% |
| 2001 | South Africa | 83.2% |
| 2002 | South Africa | 67.9% |
| 2003 | South Africa | 68.4% |
| 2004 | South Africa | 56.7% |
| 2005 | South Africa | 71.2% |
| 2006 | South Africa | 69.4% |
| 2007 | South Africa | 72.2% |
| 2008 | South Africa | 65.3% |
| 2009 | South Africa | 69% |
| 2010 | South Africa | 70% |
| 2011 | South Africa | 84.7% |
| 2012 | South Africa | 81.3% |
| 2013 | South Africa | 67.9% |
| 2014 | South Africa | 73.3% |
| 2015 | South Africa | 74.3% |
| 2016 | South Africa | 72.9% |
| 2017 | South Africa | 84.8% |
| 2018 | South Africa | 73.2% |
| 2019 | South Africa | 70.7% |
| 2020 | South Africa | 69.7% |
| 2021 | South Africa | 73.7% |
| 2022 | South Africa | 76% |
| 2023 | South Africa | 78.2% |
| 2024 | South Africa | 77.8% |
Its suppliers
Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.
Products with a dominant supplier
Of the 257 products Lesotho buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.
| Product | Supplier | Share | Second | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refined petroleum | South Africa | 98.7%over 75% | Mozambique · 0.73% | $191 million |
| Electricity | South Africa | 89.4%over 75% | Mozambique · 10.6% | $60 million |
| Cars | South Africa | 50.4% | Japan · 39.2% | $40 million |
| Earthmoving and drilling machines | China | 93.7%over 75% | South Africa · 4.4% | $34 million |
| Poultry meat | South Africa | 97.5%over 75% | Eswatini · 1.7% | $33 million |
| Trucks | South Africa | 88.5%over 75% | United States · 5.5% | $33 million |
| Other cereal flours | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $33 million |
| Corn | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $31 million |
| Parts for switchgear | South Africa | 97.3%over 75% | China · 1.9% | $27 million |
| Cement | South Africa | 99.6%over 75% | Namibia · 0.45% | $24 million |
| Wheat | South Africa | 98.3%over 75% | Russia · 1.1% | $20 million |
| Wheat flour | South Africa | 100%over 75% | Taiwan · 0% | $19 million |
| Soft drinks | South Africa | 100%over 75% | Taiwan · 0% | $17 million |
| Transformers and power supplies | China | 76.4%over 75% | South Africa · 21.1% | $17 million |
| Detergents and surfactants | South Africa | 99.4%over 75% | Malaysia · 0.47% | $16 million |
| Other plastic articles | South Africa | 80.8%over 75% | Thailand · 3.4% | $16 million |
| Other iron or steel articles | South Africa | 85.6%over 75% | China · 13.9% | $15 million |
| Steel structures | South Africa | 85.4%over 75% | China · 9.1% | $14 million |
| Forage (alfalfa and hay) | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $14 million |
| Auto parts | South Africa | 86.8%over 75% | China · 10.8% | $14 million |
| Natural gas and LPG | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $14 million |
| Other clothing accessories (not knitted) | South Africa | 63.7% | Taiwan · 25.2% | $14 million |
| Cider and other fermented drinks | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $14 million |
| Fresh milk and cream | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $14 million |
| Breakfast cereals | South Africa | 99.9%over 75% | Namibia · 0.09% | $12 million |
and 211 more
A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.
Selling: who it relies on
- Largest customer: South Africa
- 37%
- Concentration (HHI)
- 2,640
Concentration index (HHI): 2,640 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 4 customers of the same size
Trend in shares
South Africa went from 0% to 37% of what Lesotho sells
Share (%)
- South Africa 37%
- Belgium 25.8%
- United States 24.1%
- India 4.3%
- China 2.8%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Largest customer | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | — | — |
| 1996 | — | — |
| 1997 | — | — |
| 1998 | — | — |
| 1999 | — | — |
| 2000 | United States | 79.9% |
| 2001 | United States | 60.1% |
| 2002 | United States | 65.9% |
| 2003 | United States | 86.3% |
| 2004 | South Africa | 45.2% |
| 2005 | United States | 59.5% |
| 2006 | United States | 65.7% |
| 2007 | United States | 43.8% |
| 2008 | United States | 46.2% |
| 2009 | United States | 38% |
| 2010 | South Africa | 38% |
| 2011 | United States | 34.5% |
| 2012 | United States | 34.1% |
| 2013 | United States | 34.9% |
| 2014 | Belgium | 49.7% |
| 2015 | Belgium | 41.1% |
| 2016 | United States | 33.7% |
| 2017 | South Africa | 32.1% |
| 2018 | United States | 41.7% |
| 2019 | United States | 29.5% |
| 2020 | United States | 31.2% |
| 2021 | South Africa | 32.2% |
| 2022 | South Africa | 31.3% |
| 2023 | South Africa | 31% |
| 2024 | South Africa | 37% |
57 of the 59 products Lesotho sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Lesotho sells of that product; in 45, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 71.6% of what Lesotho sells.
| Product | Customer | Share | Second | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diamonds | Belgium | 66.3% | United States · 20.1% | $415 million |
| Men's suits and trousers | United States | 58.7% | South Africa · 37.1% | $64 million |
| Raw wool | South Africa | 61.3% | China · 38.7% | $61 million |
| Women's suits and dresses | South Africa | 92.7%over 75% | United States · 6.1% | $55 million |
| Women's knitted suits and dresses | United States | 71.2% | South Africa · 19.7% | $50 million |
| Low-voltage switches and connectors | South Africa | 75.6%over 75% | China · 5.3% | $43 million |
| T-shirts | United States | 53.5% | South Africa · 43.8% | $39 million |
| Furnishing textiles | South Africa | 100%over 75% | Rwanda · 0% | $37 million |
| Men's knitted shirts | United States | 90.5%over 75% | South Africa · 4.2% | $35 million |
| Sweaters and pullovers | United States | 73.6% | South Africa · 15.4% | $18 million |
| Wheat flour | South Africa | 100%over 75% | — | $15 million |
| Water | South Africa | 100%over 75% | Kuwait · 0% | $15 million |
| Men's knitted suits and trousers | United States | 51.7% | South Africa · 28.9% | $14 million |
| Heavy cotton fabric | South Africa | 50.8% | Egypt · 36.1% | $12 million |
| Women's knitted underwear and pajamas | United States | 90.7%over 75% | South Africa · 4.6% | $12 million |
and 42 more
Concentration compared
The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).
| Rank | Country | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Saint Barthélemy | 6,601 |
| 4 | Eswatini | 6,365 |
| 5 | Lesotho | 6,187 |
| 6 | Sint Maarten | 5,942 |
| 7 | Andorra | 5,451 |
| 8 | Nepal | 5,009 |
Links
Sources and method
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.
Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.
The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.
Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.
The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.
Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.