What Lesotho sells and buys, and with whom
Lesotho exported US$1.1bn of goods in 2024 and imported US$1.9bn, a deficit of US$783m. 43% of its exports went to other SADC countries, which supplied 80% of its imports.
Lesotho's trade since 2012
Exports and imports of goods, and exports to other SADC countries, US dollars
Who buys from Lesotho
Exports by destination, 2024. South Africa takes 42%.
What Lesotho sells, and to whom
Exports by product group and partner, 2024
Hover over a band or a name to follow it. Flows under 0.4% of the total (US$35m in all) are not drawn.
Lesotho's main exports
Top products (four-digit HS headings), 2024, with the value five years before
Trade with each SADC neighbour
2024, with the main products each way| Neighbour | Lesotho sold | Lesotho bought | Balance | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | US$466m | US$1.5bn | −US$1.0bn | Sold waters, including natural or artificial mineral waters and…; bought refined fuels and oils · more |
| Botswana | US$2.8m | US$8.9m | −US$6.1m | Sold cotton, carded or combed; bought tube or pipe fittings, of iron or steel · more |
| Mozambique | US$509k | US$11m | −US$10m | Sold women's suits and dresses; bought electricity · more |
| Zambia | US$175k | US$9.9m | −US$9.7m | Sold women's suits and dresses; bought raw cotton · more |
| Eswatini | US$6.5m | US$3.4m | +US$3.1m | Sold cotton yarn; bought sawn wood · more |
| Zimbabwe | US$61k | US$6.6m | −US$6.6m | Sold women's suits and dresses; bought raw cotton · more |
| Namibia | US$1.9m | US$166k | +US$1.8m | Sold men's suits and trousers; bought cement · more |
| Seychelles | US$0 | US$1.5m | −US$1.5m | bought other knitted or crocheted fabrics · more |
| Tanzania | US$311k | US$98k | +US$213k | Sold footwear with outer soles of rubber, plastics, leather or…; bought baths, shower-baths, sinks, wash-basins, bidets, lavatory… · more |
| Malawi | US$91k | US$242k | −US$151k | Sold bulldozers, graders and excavators; bought raw cotton · more |
| Madagascar | US$291k | US$407 | +US$290k | Sold woven fabrics of cotton, containing 85 % or more by weight…; bought men's suits and trousers · more |
| Mauritius | US$81k | US$42k | +US$39k | Sold woven fabrics of cotton, containing 85 % or more by weight…; bought discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices… · more |
| DRC | US$29k | US$0 | +US$29k | Sold garments, made up of fabrics · more |
| Angola | US$1 | US$164 | −US$163 | Sold microphones and stands therefor; bought manioc, arrowroot, salep, jerusalem artichokes, sweet… · more |
How processed Lesotho's trade is
Exports and imports by stage of processing, 2024
Raw: unprocessed farm goods, ores, minerals, crude oil, coal and gas. Processed materials: refined metals and fuels, chemicals, processed farm goods for industry. Refined gold counts here. Manufactured goods: machinery, vehicles, parts, consumer goods and packaged food.
Analysis: Lesotho's value-addition balance and openings
For members: where Lesotho earns and spends at each stage of processing, with SADC and with the world; how much rides on a few products and buyers; what it is competitive in; which exports grew or shrank; where its exports meet preferential terms; and the products it could sell to neighbours, or buy from them instead of from outside the region.
The trade analysis for Lesotho is part of the Individual plan
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CEPII BACI, built from UN Comtrade with each flow reconciled between exporter and importer (Etalab Open Licence 2.0). Values in current US dollars; exports valued free on board. Figures can differ from national statistics, and include non-monetary gold. About the data