Introduction
Background
Paramount chief MOSHOESHOE I consolidated what would become Basutoland in the early 19th century and made himself king in 1822. Continuing encroachments by Dutch settlers from the neighboring Orange Free State caused the king to enter into an 1868 agreement with the UK by which Basutoland became a British protectorate, and after 1884, a crown colony. Upon independence in 1966, the country was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Basotho National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE II was exiled in 1990 but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections in 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month. MOSISILI returned to power in snap elections in February 2015 after the collapse of THABANE’s coalition government and an alleged attempted military coup. In June 2017, THABANE returned to become prime minister but stepped down in May 2020 after being implicated in his estranged wife’s murder. He was succeeded by Moseketsi MAJORO. In October 2022, Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE was inaugurated as prime minister and head of a three-party coalition featuring his Revolution for Prosperity (RFP), then Monyane MOLELEKI-led Alliance of Democrats (AD), and the Selibe MOCHOBOROANE-led Movement for Economic Change (MEC).
Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.
Geography
Location
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Geographic coordinates
29 30 S, 28 30 E
Map references
Africa
Land boundaries
total: 1,106 km
border countries (1): South Africa 1,106 km
Coastline
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims
none (landlocked)
Climate
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
Elevation
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
mean elevation: 2,161 m
Natural resources
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
Land use
agricultural land: 76.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)
other: 22.4% (2018 est.)
Irrigated land
12 sq km (2013)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 sq km)
Population distribution
relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people as shown in this population distribution map
Natural hazards
periodic droughts
Geography - note
landlocked, an enclave of (completely surrounded by) South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level
People and Society
Nationality
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Ethnic groups
Sotho 99.7%, other 0.3% (includes Kwena, Nguni (Hlubi and Phuthi), Zulu)
Languages
Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Phuthi, Xhosa, Zulu
Religions
Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)
Demographic profile
Lesotho faces great socioeconomic challenges. Almost half of its population lives below the poverty line as of 2017, and the country’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second highest in the world as of 2021. In addition, Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked country with little arable land, leaving its population vulnerable to food shortages and reliant on remittances. Lesotho’s persistently high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been increasing during the last decade, according to the last two Demographic and Health Surveys. Despite these significant shortcomings, Lesotho has made good progress in education; it is on-track to achieve universal primary education and has one of the highest adult literacy rates in Africa.
Lesotho’s migration history is linked to its unique geography; it is surrounded by South Africa with which it shares linguistic and cultural traits. Lesotho at one time had more of its workforce employed outside its borders than any other country. Today remittances equal about 20% of its GDP. With few job options at home, a high rate of poverty, and higher wages available across the border, labor migration to South Africa replaced agriculture as the prevailing Basotho source of income decades ago. The majority of Basotho migrants were single men contracted to work as gold miners in South Africa. However, migration trends changed in the 1990s, and fewer men found mining jobs in South Africa because of declining gold prices, stricter immigration policies, and a preference for South African workers.
Although men still dominate cross-border labor migration, more women are working in South Africa, mostly as domestics, because they are widows or their husbands are unemployed. Internal rural-urban flows have also become more frequent, with more women migrating within the country to take up jobs in the garment industry or moving to care for loved ones with HIV/AIDS. Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.
Age structure
0-14 years: 32.4% (male 360,327/female 355,863)
15-64 years: 62.21% (male 688,373/female 686,911)
65 years and over: 5.39% (2023 est.) (male 44,313/female 74,859)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 62.1
youth dependency ratio: 55.3
elderly dependency ratio: 6.8
potential support ratio: 14.7 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 23.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 23.2 years
female: 24.2 years
comparison ranking: total 177
Population distribution
relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people as shown in this population distribution map
Urbanization
urban population: 30.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.9 years (2014 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Infant mortality rate
total: 47 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 52.5 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 41.4 deaths/1,000 live births
comparison ranking: total 24
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 59.9 years (2023 est.)
male: 57.9 years
female: 62 years
comparison ranking: total population 220
Gross reproduction rate
1.42 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
64.9% (2018)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 95.7% of population
rural: 77.2% of population
total: 82.6% of population
unimproved: urban: 4.3% of population
rural: 22.8% of population
total: 17.4% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
11.8% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.47 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 93.6% of population
rural: 62.4% of population
total: 71.4% of population
unimproved: urban: 6.4% of population
rural: 37.6% of population
total: 28.6% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 3.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: total 103
Tobacco use
total: 24.3% (2020 est.)
male: 43.1% (2020 est.)
female: 5.4% (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: total 55
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
53.7% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 1%
women married by age 18: 16.4%
men married by age 18: 1.9% (2018 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81%
male: 72.9%
female: 88.8% (2021)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 12 years
male: 12 years
female: 13 years (2017)
Environment
Environment - current issues
population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, and soil exhaustion; desertification; Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Climate
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Land use
agricultural land: 76.1% (2018 est.)
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 65.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 1.5% (2018 est.)
other: 22.4% (2018 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 30.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Food insecurity
severe localized food insecurity: due to poor harvests and increased food prices - according to the latest national food security assessment, 22% of the rural population are expected to face acute food insecurity between October 2022 and March 2023, compared to 15% between July and September 2022; the forecasted proportion translates into 320,000 people in rural areas, while an additional 201,000 people in urban areas are foreseen to also need assistance; the foreseen increase of acute food insecurity levels is primarily due to the reduced harvest, high food prices in basic food and non‑food commodities and a slow recovery of households’ income reflecting a downturn in economic growth; harvesting of the 2022 main-season summer cereal crops, mostly maize and sorghum, is complete; production of maize, the main cereal staple, is about one‑third of the average, while the sorghum output is almost negligible; the poor harvest was primarily due to torrential rainfalls during January and February 2022, which caused localized flooding and resulted in crop losses (2022)
Air pollutants
particulate matter emissions: 17.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 2.51 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 2.56 megatons (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 73,457 tons (2006 est.)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Orange river source (shared with South Africa and Namibia [m]) - 2,092 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Orange (941,351 sq km)
Total water withdrawal
municipal: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 3.8 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Total renewable water resources
3.02 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
Country name
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
etymology: the name translates as "Land of the Sesotho Speakers"
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: in the Sesotho language the name means "[place of] red sandstones"
Administrative divisions
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Independence
4 October 1966 (from the UK)
National holiday
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution
history: previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version)
amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king; passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2011
Legal system
mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent only: yes
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state: King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996); note - King LETSIE III formerly occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile
head of government: Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE (28 October 2022)
cabinet: consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 18 other ministers; the prime minister is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the National Assembly
elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary, but under the terms of the constitution that came into effect after the March 1993 election, the monarch is a "living symbol of national unity" with no executive or legislative powers; under traditional law, the College of Chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age
Legislative branch
description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate (33 seats; 22 principal chiefs and 11 other senators nominated by the king with the advice of the Council of State, a 13-member body of key government and non-government officials; members serve 5-year terms)
National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 elected through proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms)
elections:
Senate - last appointed by the king in November 2022 (next to be appointed 2028)
National Assembly - last held on 7 October 2022 (next to be held in February 2028)
election results:
Senate - percent of votes by party - NA, seats by party - NA; composition - men 25, women 8, percent of women 24.2%
National Assembly - percent of votes by party - RFP 38.9%, DC 24.7%, ABC 7.1%, BAP 5.4%, AD 4.0%, MEC 3.2%, LCD 2.3%, SR 2.1%, BNP 1.4%, PFD 0.9%, BCM 0.8%, MPS 0.8%, MIP 0.7%; seats by party - RFP 56, DC 29, ABC 8, BAP 6, AD 5, MEC 4, LCD 3, SR 2, BNP 1, PFD 1,BCM 1, MPS 1, NIP 1, HOPE 1, TBD 1; composition - men 88, women 32, percent of women 26.6%; note - total Parliament percent of women 22.9%
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, such number of justices of appeal as set by Parliament, and the Chief Justice and the puisne judges of the High Court ex officio); High Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of puisne judges as set by Parliament); note - both the Court of Appeal and the High Court have jurisdiction in constitutional issues
judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister; puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch; judges of both courts can serve until age 75
subordinate courts: Magistrate Courts; customary or traditional courts; military courts
Political parties and leaders
All Basotho Convention or ABC [Nkaku KABI]
Alliance of Democrats or AD [Ntoi RAPPA]
Basotho Action Party or BAP [Nqosa MAHAO]
Basotho National Party or BNP [Machesetsa MOFOMOBE]
Democratic Congress or DC [Mathibeli MOKHOTHU]
Democratic Party of Lesotho or DPL [Limpho TAU]
Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]
Lesotho People's Congress or LPC [Moipone PIET]
Movement of Economic Change or MEC [Selibe MOCHOBOROANE]
National Independent Party or NIP [Kimetso MATHABA]
Popular Front for Democracy of PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]
Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL [Keketso RANTSO]
International organization participation
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Tumisang MOSOTHO (since 16 September 2022)
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
email address and website: lesothoembassy@verizon.net
https://www.gov.ls/
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Maria E. BREWER (since 10 March 2022)
embassy: 254 Kingsway Avenue, Maseru
mailing address: 2340 Maseru Place, Washington DC 20521-2340
telephone: [266] 22312666
FAX: [266] 22310116
email address and website:
USConsularMaseru@state.gov
https://ls.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green in the proportions of 3:4:3; the colors represent rain, peace, and prosperity respectively; centered in the white stripe is a black mokorotlo, a traditional Basotho straw hat and national symbol; the redesigned flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence
National symbol(s)
mokorotio (Basotho hat); national colors: blue, white, green, black
National anthem
name: "Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
lyrics/music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR
note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (mixed)
selected World Heritage Site locales: Maloti-Drakensberg Park
Economy
Economic overview
lower middle-income economy surrounded by South Africa; environmentally fragile and politically unstable; key infrastructure and renewable energy investments; dire poverty; urban job and income losses due to COVID-19; systemic corruption
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$5.236 billion (2021 est.)
$5.167 billion (2020 est.)
$5.638 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
comparison ranking: 178
Real GDP per capita
$2,300 (2021 est.)
$2,300 (2020 est.)
$2,500 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
comparison ranking: 204
GDP (official exchange rate)
$2.462 billion (2019 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
6.05% (2021 est.)
4.98% (2020 est.)
5.19% (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: 51
Credit ratings
Fitch rating: B (2019)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
agriculture: 5.8% (2016 est.)
industry: 39.2% (2016 est.)
services: 54.9% (2017 est.)
comparison rankings: services 155; industry 34; agriculture 121
GDP - composition, by end use
household consumption: 69.2% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 26.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 31.4% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -13.4% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 40.8% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -54.4% (2017 est.)
Agricultural products
milk, potatoes, maize, vegetables, fruit, beef, game meat, mutton, beans, wool
Industries
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 37.4% (2021 est.)
male: 32.8% NA
female: 43.8% NA
comparison ranking: total 20
Population below poverty line
49.7% (2017 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
44.9 (2017 est.)
56 (1986-87)
comparison ranking: 28
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2003)
Budget
revenues: $1.054 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $1.21 billion (2020 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
Current account balance
-$90.886 million (2021 est.)
-$18.211 million (2020 est.)
-$72.308 million (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: 90
Exports
$1.08 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$902.123 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.093 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
comparison ranking: 176
Exports - partners
United States 29%, Belgium 26%, South Africa 25%, Switzerland 6% (2019)
Exports - commodities
diamonds, clothing and apparel, wool, low-voltage protection equipment, wheat flours (2021)
Imports
$2.221 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$1.98 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$2.23 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
comparison ranking: 169
Imports - partners
South Africa 85%, China 5% (2019)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, clothing and apparel, packaged medicines, delivery trucks, poultry meats (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$774.095 million (31 December 2019 est.)
$728.528 million (31 December 2018 est.)
$657.668 million (31 December 2017 est.)
comparison ranking: 156
Exchange rates
maloti (LSL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
14.779 (2021 est.)
16.459 (2020 est.)
14.448 (2019 est.)
13.234 (2018 est.)
13.324 (2017 est.)
Energy
Electricity access
population without electricity: 1 million (2020)
electrification - total population: 50.3% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 80.6% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 37.7% (2021)
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 74,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 912.8 million kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 541.7 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 129.9 million kWh (2019 est.)
comparison rankings: installed generating capacity 188; transmission/distribution losses 157; imports 84; exports 138; consumption 162
Electricity generation sources
fossil fuels: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 99.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Coal
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
Petroleum
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 5,100 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 736,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
comparison ranking: total emissions 181
Communications
Telephones - fixed lines
total subscriptions: 9,559 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 192
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 1,821,374 (2021 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 80 (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total subscriptions 154
Telecommunication systems
general assessment: until late 2020, Lesotho’s telecom regulator maintained a market duopoly which is focused on fixed-line services; competition was insufficient to promote effective price reductions for consumers, while the regulator had no mechanisms in place to monitor the telcos to ensure quality of service and fair pricing for consumers; the small size of the country’s population provided little incentive for new players to enter the market; a positive outcome for consumers was the deployment in early 2021 of a service to monitor traffic and billing; this ended the practice whereby the regulator was dependent on telcos submitting data about their performance, billing, and other matters; the regulator has also turned its attention to addressing multiple SIM ownership and stemming incidences of crimes committed using unregistered SIMs; in May 2022, it instructed the country’s Mobile Network Operators to begin registering SIM cards on their networks from the following month; fixed-wireless 5G trials began in early 2019 (2022)
domestic: fixed-line is less than 1 per 100 subscriptions; mobile-cellular service subscribership is 80 per 100 persons (2021)
international: country code - 266; Internet accessibility has improved with several submarine fiber optic cables that land on African east and west coasts, but the country's land locked position makes access prices expensive; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2019)
Broadcast media
1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; most private broadcast media transmitters are connected to government radio signal towers; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2019)
Internet users
total: 1.104 million (2021 est.)
percent of population: 48% (2021 est.)
comparison ranking: total 148
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
total: 5,060 (2020 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.2 (2020 est.)
comparison ranking: total 185
Transportation
Airports - with paved runways
3
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
21
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
Military and Security
Military and security forces
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2023)
note: the Lesotho Mounted Police Service is responsible for internal security and reports to the Minister of Local Government, Chieftainship, Home Affairs and Police
Military expenditures
1.6% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.8% of GDP (2019 est.)
2.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
comparison ranking: 81
Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 2,000 personnel (2023)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the LDF has a small inventory of older and second-hand equipment from a variety of countries (2023)
Military service age and obligation
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women (women can serve in combat arms); no conscription (2023)
Military - note
Lesotho's declared policy for its military is the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa; the LDF is a small force comprised of about a half dozen infantry companies; it began in 1964 as the Police Mobile Unit (PMU); the PMU was designated as the Lesotho Paramilitary Force in 1980 and became the Royal Lesotho Defense Force in 1986; it was subsequently renamed the Lesotho Defense Force in 1993 (2023)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
Lesotho-South Africa: South Africa has placed military units to assist police operations along the border of Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique to control smuggling, poaching, and illegal migration