Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho
Lesotho: Public and publicly guaranteed debt service was 4.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho, 1975–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 4.8% for public and publicly guaranteed debt service in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 64.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho peaked at 7.6% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.2%, in 1975.
That places Lesotho 78th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 0.2% | — |
| 1976 | 0.3% | +43.4% |
| 1977 | 0.2% | -27.4% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +104.0% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | +85.9% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +53.0% |
| 1981 | 1.2% | -12.7% |
| 1982 | 1.1% | -6.6% |
| 1983 | 2.2% | +107.7% |
| 1984 | 1.6% | -26.8% |
| 1985 | 2.9% | +74.6% |
| 1986 | 2.0% | -29.5% |
| 1987 | 1.4% | -32.3% |
| 1988 | 2.4% | +74.8% |
| 1989 | 2.2% | -7.9% |
| 1990 | 2.1% | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +10.1% |
| 1992 | 2.6% | +14.6% |
| 1993 | 2.6% | +0.8% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | -20.7% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +36.0% |
| 1996 | 2.8% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 3.6% | +25.9% |
| 1998 | 4.9% | +36.3% |
| 1999 | 5.8% | +17.8% |
| 2000 | 6.8% | +18.4% |
| 2001 | 7.6% | +11.7% |
| 2002 | 7.3% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 5.2% | -28.0% |
| 2004 | 3.6% | -31.2% |
| 2005 | 5.7% | +57.4% |
| 2006 | 3.0% | -47.4% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | +91.8% |
| 2008 | 1.9% | -66.4% |
| 2009 | 2.2% | +13.2% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -24.9% |
| 2011 | 1.7% | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | +25.3% |
| 2013 | 2.7% | +27.2% |
| 2014 | 2.9% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | +24.7% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | -19.9% |
| 2018 | 3.1% | +5.8% |
| 2019 | 3.6% | +16.3% |
| 2020 | 4.2% | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -23.3% |
| 2022 | 3.8% | +17.4% |
| 2023 | 4.7% | +24.5% |
| 2024 | 4.8% | +2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 4.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.4%, 76% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 4.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.7%, 85% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 5 |
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 2.1% | 5.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 1.9% | 7.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 1.6% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.2% | 3.2% | 4.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 75 Republic of Moldova 5.0% compare
- 76 Mali 4.9% compare
- 77 Fiji 4.9% compare
- 79 Madagascar 4.7% compare
- 80 Albania 4.6% compare
- 81 Papua New Guinea 4.6% compare
More external debt data for Lesotho
- IFC, private nonguaranteed 0 NFL, US$ (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per capita 0 NFL, US$ per person (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per unit of GDP 0 NFL, US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- IFC, private nonguaranteed (NFL, US$), per square kilometre 0 NFL, US$ per square kilometre (2023)
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service 2.7% (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA 62.08 million NFL, current US$ (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per capita 26.56 NFL, current US$ per person (2024)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per unit of GDP 0.026 NFL, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Net financial flows, IBRD -363,000 NFL, current US$ (2013)
- Net financial flows, IDA (NFL, current US$), per square kilometre 868.64 NFL, current US$ per square kilometre (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho?
- Public and publicly guaranteed debt service in Lesotho was 4.8% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 7.6% in 2001.
- What is the lowest public and publicly guaranteed debt service recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2% in 1975.
- How does Lesotho rank for public and publicly guaranteed debt service?
- Lesotho ranks 78th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is public and publicly guaranteed debt service rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 64.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of Public and publicly guaranteed debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Public and publicly guaranteed debt service to exports of goods, services, and income. Public and publicly guaranteed debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term obligations of public debtors and long-term private obligations guaranteed by a public entity. Exports of goods, services and primary income is the sum of goods (merchandise) exports, exports of (nonfactor) services and income (factor) receipts.