Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Military expenditure (% of GDP) was 1.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.6%
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
90th
of 167 countries
All-time high
4.8%
in 1986
All-time low
1.4%
in 1977
Years of data
50
1976–2025
Military expenditure in Lesotho, 1976–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1.6% for military expenditure in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 12.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Lesotho peaked at 4.8% in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1977.
That places Lesotho 90th out of 167 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of GDP) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 1.6% | — |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -7.3% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | +23.0% |
| 1980 | 3.2% | +70.6% |
| 1981 | 3.3% | +4.8% |
| 1982 | 4.4% | +31.6% |
| 1983 | 4.0% | -7.9% |
| 1984 | 4.0% | -0.8% |
| 1985 | 4.3% | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 4.8% | +12.2% |
| 1987 | 4.2% | -13.6% |
| 1988 | 3.4% | -19.4% |
| 1989 | 4.3% | +27.8% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | -17.6% |
| 1991 | 2.9% | -18.6% |
| 1992 | 2.7% | -6.3% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -8.5% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | +10.7% |
| 1995 | 3.2% | +18.3% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -12.9% |
| 1997 | 2.7% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 2.9% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 3.6% | +24.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | -7.8% |
| 2001 | 2.7% | -16.5% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | -8.3% |
| 2003 | 2.4% | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 2.1% | -10.0% |
| 2005 | 2.0% | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | +14.2% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | -34.6% |
| 2009 | 2.7% | +75.9% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +16.2% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | -28.7% |
| 2012 | 2.1% | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 2.0% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 2.0% | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 1.9% | -4.5% |
| 2016 | 2.0% | +5.3% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 2.0% | -12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 1.5% | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 1.5% | -4.1% |
| 2023 | 1.6% | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2025 | 1.6% | +0.9% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.5%, 1.1× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.3%, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.9% | 4 |
| 1980s | 4.0% | 3.2% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.4% | 1.5% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 1.9% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
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 military expenditure in Lesotho?
- Military expenditure in Lesotho was 1.6% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 4.8% in 1986.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1977.
- How does Lesotho rank for military expenditure?
- Lesotho ranks 90th out of 167 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product