[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · LSO · 2024
Lesotho trade profile
In 2024, Lesotho recorded $985.8M in merchandise exports and $1.7B in imports, producing a $727.5M trade deficit. Exports changed +3.4% from the previous year, while imports changed +6.5%.[1]
Exports
$985.8M
+3.4%
Imports
$1.7B
+6.5%
Trade balance
-$727.5M
deficit
Active partners
270
17 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$397.7M
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
24 active HS6 lines · 16 export partners
2$173.7M
HS 61 · HS chapter
106 active HS6 lines · 75 export partners
3$138.3M
HS 62 · HS chapter
112 active HS6 lines · 61 export partners
4$67.9M
HS 51 · HS chapter
27 active HS6 lines · 2 export partners
5$44.4M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
257 active HS6 lines · 85 export partners
6$43.7M
HS 63 · HS chapter
52 active HS6 lines · 22 export partners
7$29.0M
HS 52 · HS chapter
86 active HS6 lines · 16 export partners
8$19.3M
HS 11 · HS chapter
26 active HS6 lines · 5 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Lesotho; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$370.5M
South Africa
Annual change +8.3% · 3-year CAGR 2.6%
2$252.6M
Belgium
Annual change +2.2% · 3-year CAGR 5.3%
3$192.2M
United States
Annual change +1.2% · 3-year CAGR -14.9%
4$49.4M
United Arab Emirates
Annual change +34.3% · 3-year CAGR 32.5%
5$37.1M
India
Annual change -35.3% · 3-year CAGR 656.1%
6$26.0M
China
Annual change +8.6% · 3-year CAGR 10.6%
7$13.0M
Mexico
Annual change +39.0% · 3-year CAGR 44.2%
8$8.2M
Canada
Annual change +13.7% · 3-year CAGR 2.7%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.