Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Central government debt, total (current LCU) was 1.01 billion current LCU in 2020. ▲ Rising
Central government debt, total in Lesotho, 2008–2020
Source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
In 2020, central government debt, total in Lesotho stood at 1.01 billion current LCU. That is the lowest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is down 90.9% on the previous year and down 79.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, central government debt, total in Lesotho peaked at 13.08 billion current LCU in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.01 billion current LCU, in 2020.
That places Lesotho 78th out of 83 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Central government debt, total (current LCU) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 5.48 billion current LCU | — |
| 2009 | 6.15 billion current LCU | +12.3% |
| 2010 | 4.84 billion current LCU | -21.4% |
| 2011 | 5.08 billion current LCU | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 6.55 billion current LCU | +28.9% |
| 2013 | 7.59 billion current LCU | +15.8% |
| 2014 | 8.75 billion current LCU | +15.3% |
| 2015 | 9.98 billion current LCU | +14.1% |
| 2016 | 13.08 billion current LCU | +31.1% |
| 2017 | 11.48 billion current LCU | -12.2% |
| 2018 | 11.11 billion current LCU | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 11.11 billion current LCU | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.01 billion current LCU | -90.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.01 billion current LCU is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 149.14 billion current LCU, 1% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.01 billion current LCU is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 944.88 billion current LCU, 0% of the median. (14 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Central government debt, total (current LCU) 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.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -90.9% | 11.11 billion current LCU | 1.01 billion current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.81 billion current LCU | 5.48 billion current LCU | 6.15 billion current LCU | 2 |
| 2010s | 8.96 billion current LCU | 4.84 billion current LCU | 13.08 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.01 billion current LCU | 1.01 billion current LCU | 1.01 billion current LCU | 1 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 75 Andorra 1.49 billion current LCU
- 76 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.48 billion current LCU compare
- 77 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.04 billion current LCU
- 79 Malta 791.03 million current LCU
- 80 Tonga 504.15 million current LCU compare
- 81 Palau 240.22 million current LCU compare
More public sector data for Lesotho
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.4526 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0004 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), gaps filled 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is central government debt, total in Lesotho?
- Central government debt, total in Lesotho was 1.01 billion current LCU in 2020, according to Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest central government debt, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 13.08 billion current LCU in 2016.
- What is the lowest central government debt, total recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.01 billion current LCU in 2020.
- How does Lesotho rank for central government debt, total?
- Lesotho ranks 78th out of 83 countries with data for 2020.
- Is central government debt, total rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 79.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Central government debt, total (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
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. Central government is the part of general government that includes all administrative departments of the national executive, legislative, and judicial functions, other central agencies and those non-market producers controlled by the central government, whose competence extends normally over the whole economic territory. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.