# Lesotho Import Demand Profile: Data, Sectors & Suppliers | Yugalinks

> Published by **Yugalinks**, global trade intelligence for growing businesses.

Explore import demand for Lesotho with OECD trade data: sectors, suppliers, economy context, and trade history.

Canonical: https://www.yugalinks.com/trade/country-import/LSO

## Lesotho import demand overview

In 2024, Lesotho recorded $1.7B in reported imports. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed import sector by value.

## Country snapshot

| Measure | Value |
| --- | ---: |
| Latest imports | $1.7B |
| Import growth | +6.5% |
| Population | 2.3M |
| GDP per capita | $971.9 |
| Trade openness | 0% |

## Import sectors

| Rank | HS2 | Sector | Imports | Share | Import partners | Active HS6 |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1 | 71 | Precious stones and metals | $330.8K | 0% | 11 | 24 |
| 2 | 61 | Knitted clothing | $18.0M | 1% | 39 | 106 |
| 3 | 62 | Non-knitted clothing | $26.5M | 1.5% | 45 | 112 |
| 4 | 51 | Wool and animal hair | $197.2K | 0% | 3 | 27 |
| 5 | 85 | Electrical machinery | $114.2M | 6.7% | 54 | 257 |
| 6 | 63 | Other made-up textile articles | $15.6M | 0.9% | 31 | 52 |
| 7 | 52 | Cotton | $36.2M | 2.1% | 19 | 86 |
| 8 | 11 | Milling products | $59.1M | 3.4% | 4 | 26 |
| 9 | 84 | Machinery | $131.0M | 7.6% | 54 | 506 |
| 10 | 03 | Fish and crustaceans | $3.2M | 0.2% | 3 | 96 |

## Import history

| Year | Imports | Exports | Balance |
| ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 2000 | $250.1M | $184.6M | -$65.5M |
| 2001 | $349.7M | $223.8M | -$125.8M |
| 2002 | $248.3M | $339.6M | $91.3M |
| 2003 | $379.8M | $448.1M | $68.3M |
| 2004 | $631.1M | $683.6M | $52.5M |
| 2005 | $312.8M | $455.0M | $142.2M |
| 2006 | $389.1M | $597.7M | $208.6M |
| 2007 | $384.6M | $664.0M | $279.4M |
| 2008 | $368.1M | $652.7M | $284.6M |
| 2009 | $524.3M | $549.0M | $24.7M |
| 2010 | $1.4B | $710.3M | -$717.5M |
| 2011 | $1.6B | $1.1B | -$531.7M |
| 2012 | $1.7B | $909.5M | -$770.7M |
| 2013 | $1.7B | $706.7M | -$978.9M |
| 2014 | $1.5B | $906.6M | -$582.7M |
| 2015 | $1.4B | $742.1M | -$652.5M |
| 2016 | $1.3B | $855.2M | -$465.6M |
| 2017 | $1.6B | $971.3M | -$580.0M |
| 2018 | $1.5B | $1.1B | -$427.1M |
| 2019 | $1.5B | $1.0B | -$503.1M |
| 2020 | $1.2B | $886.0M | -$349.9M |
| 2021 | $1.6B | $986.7M | -$576.6M |
| 2022 | $1.7B | $1.0B | -$686.0M |
| 2023 | $1.6B | $953.0M | -$655.1M |
| 2024 | $1.7B | $985.8M | -$727.5M |

## Data coverage

- Country: **Lesotho (LSO)**
- Coverage: **2000-2024**
- Publisher: [Yugalinks](https://www.yugalinks.com/)

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.