Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 2.7% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Lesotho, 1988–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Lesotho stood at 2.7%. That is the lowest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.8% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Lesotho peaked at 11.3% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.7%, in 2025.
Lesotho ranks 134th of 164 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 8.9% | — |
| 1989 | 11.3% | +26.6% |
| 1990 | 10.9% | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 9.3% | -14.4% |
| 1992 | 7.7% | -16.9% |
| 1993 | 6.9% | -10.3% |
| 1994 | 6.9% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 7.8% | +13.0% |
| 1996 | 6.9% | -11.7% |
| 1997 | 6.1% | -10.6% |
| 1998 | 5.6% | -8.8% |
| 1999 | 7.1% | +26.4% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +19.2% |
| 2001 | 6.6% | -22.0% |
| 2002 | 6.0% | -8.8% |
| 2003 | 5.8% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 5.6% | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 5.1% | -8.2% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -11.2% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | -38.6% |
| 2009 | 4.0% | +39.7% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +38.3% |
| 2011 | 3.7% | -33.5% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 3.3% | -6.8% |
| 2014 | 3.8% | +12.9% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 3.6% | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +20.6% |
| 2018 | 3.8% | -12.8% |
| 2019 | 3.5% | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 3.4% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -17.8% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | +7.4% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | -8.3% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | -4.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 2.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5.8%, 47% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 2.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 46% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.1% | 8.9% | 11.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 7.5% | 5.6% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 2.9% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.9% | 3.3% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 131 Seychelles 3.4% compare
- 132 Slovenia 3.2% compare
- 133 Bolivia 3.2% compare
- 135 New Zealand 2.7% compare
- 136 Mexico 2.5% compare
- 137 Trinidad and Tobago 2.5% 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 military expenditure in Lesotho?
- Military expenditure in Lesotho was 2.7% 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 11.3% in 1989.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.7% in 2025.
- How does Lesotho rank for military expenditure?
- Lesotho ranks 134th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. 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 general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure