Page last updated on January 28, 2014
Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE 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. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 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.
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
total: 30,355 sq km
country comparison to the world: 142
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
slightly smaller than Maryland
total: 909 km
border countries: South Africa 909 km
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m
water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone
arable land: 10.14%
permanent crops: 0.13%
other: 89.72% (2011)
total: 0.04 cu km/yr (46%/46%/9%)
per capita: 21.79 cu m/yr (2000)
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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
landlocked, completely surrounded by South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level
noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho
Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%,
Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
1,936,181 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
0-14 years: 33.1% (male 322,189/female 319,618)
15-24 years: 20.2% (male 185,931/female 205,643)
25-54 years: 36.3% (male 344,120/female 359,370)
55-64 years: 4.9% (male 50,781/female 44,399)
65 years and over: 5.4% (male 52,241/female 51,889) (2013 est.)
total dependency ratio: 68.3 %
youth dependency ratio: 61.2 %
elderly dependency ratio: 7.1 %
potential support ratio: 14.1 (2013)
total: 23.4 years
male: 23.3 years
female: 23.4 years (2013 est.)
0.34% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
26.31 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
15.02 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
-7.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
urban population: 27.6% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 3.57% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
MASERU (capital) 220,000 (2009)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
21.2
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2009 est.)
620 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
country comparison to the world: 12
total: 51.93 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 38
male: 55.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 47.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
total population: 52.3 years
country comparison to the world: 212
male: 52.2 years
female: 52.39 years (2013 est.)
2.83 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69
12.8% of GDP (2011)
country comparison to the world: 8
0.05 physicians/1,000 population (2003)
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2006)
23.6% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
290,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
14,000 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
14.6% (2008)
country comparison to the world: 120
13.5% (2010)
country comparison to the world: 56
13% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 1
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89.6%
male: 83.3%
female: 95.6% (2010 est.)
total: 10 years
male: 10 years
female: 10 years (2006)
total number: 103,020
percentage: 23 % (2000 est.)
total: 34.4%
country comparison to the world: 19
male: 29%
female: 41.9% (2008)
conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
4 October 1966 (from the UK)
Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version); amended 2001 (2013)
mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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 Motsoahae Thomas THABANE (since 8 June 2012)
cabinet: Cabinet
elections: according to the constitution, the leader of the majority party, or coalition of parties, in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister; 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, determine who is next in the line of succession, or who shall serve as regent in the event that the successor is not of mature age
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (33 members - 22 principal chiefs and 11 other members appointed by the ruling party) and the Assembly (120 seats, 80 by popular vote and 40 by proportional vote; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 26 May 2012 (next to be held in 2017)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DC 48, ABC 30, LCD 26, BNP 5, PFD 3, NIP 2, other 6
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; Courts Martial
All Basotho Convention or ABC [Motsoahae Thomas THABANE]
Media Institute of Southern Africa, Lesotho chapter [Tsebo MATŠASA] (pushes for media freedom)
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Eliachim Molapi SEBATANE (since 2 November 2011)
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Carl B. FOX
embassy: 254 Kingsway Road, Maseru West (Consular Section)
mailing address: P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone: [266] 22 312666
FAX: [266] 22 310116
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 Basotho hat representing the indigenous people; the flag was unfurled in October 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence
name: "Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
lyrics/music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR
note: adopted 1967; the anthem's music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook
Small, mountainous, and completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho is a least developed country in which about three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in subsistence agriculture. Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Rain-fed agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability; an estimated 725,500 people will require food assistance in 2012/13. The distribution of income in Lesotho remains inequitable. Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity. Lesotho imports 90% of the goods it consumes from South Africa, including most agricultural inputs. Households depend heavily on remittances from family members working in South Africa, in mines, on farms and as domestic workers, though mining employment has declined substantially since the 1990s. Government revenue depends heavily on transfers from South Africa. Customs duties from the Southern Africa Customs Union accounted for 44% of government revenue in 2012. The South African Government also pays royalties for water transferred to South Africa from a dam and reservoir system in Lesotho. However, the government continues to strengthen its tax system to reduce dependency on customs duties and other transfers. Access to credit remains a problem for the private sector. The government maintains a large presence in the economy - public expenditures accounted for 55% of GDP in 2010 and the government remains Lesotho's largest employer. Lesotho's largest private employer is the textile and garment industry - approximately 36,000 Basotho, mainly women, work in factories producing garments for export to South Africa and the US. Diamond mining in Lesotho has grown in recent years and may contribute 8.5% to GDP by 2015, according to current forecasts. Lesotho's $362.5 million Millennium Challenge Account Compact, which focused on strengthening the healthcare system, developing the private sector, and providing access to improved water supplies and sanitation facilities, will end in September 2013. Despite the 2008/09 global economic crisis, the economy has recovered strongly with growth averaging nearly 5% per year since 2010.
$4.041 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
$2.428 billion (2012 est.)
4.5% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 78
$2,100 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
7.8% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
household consumption: 90.8%
government consumption: 38.1%
investment in fixed capital: 31.8%
investment in inventories: 0.8%
exports of goods and services: 46.5%
imports of goods and services: -108.1%
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 34.6%
services: 58% (2012 est.)
corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock
food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism
9.3% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
855,600 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 149
agriculture: 86%
industry and services: 14%
note: most of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa (2002 est.)
25% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2003)
63.2 (1995)
country comparison to the world: 1
revenues: $1.658 billion
expenditures: $1.536 billion (2012 est.)
68.3% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
5% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
6.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
9.36% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
10.12% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85
$408.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
$897 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$75,280 (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
$-587.4 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107
$972.4 million (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158
manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds
$2.239 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products
$749.4 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
$779.8 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 166
$398 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
maloti (LSL) per US dollar -
200 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
307 million kWh (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
247 million kWh (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
76,000 kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 154
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
1,777 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
3,711 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156
0 cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
0 cu m (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 161
445,600 Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
43,100 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 168
1.312 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 153
general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding
domestic: privatized in 2001, Telecom Lesotho was tasked with providing an additional 50,000 fixed-line connections within five years, a target not met; mobile-cellular service dominates the market and is expanding with a subscribership roughly 65 per 100 persons in 2011; rural services are scant
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011)
1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations; government controls most private broadcast media; satellite TV subscription service available; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2008)
11,030 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 131
76,800 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 168
24 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 132
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2013)
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m:
total: 5,940 km
country comparison to the world: 150
paved: 1,069 km
unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2012)
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2012)
males age 16-49: 472,456
females age 16-49: 508,953 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 270,184
females age 16-49: 275,734 (2010 est.)
male: 19,110
female: 20,037 (2010 est.)
1.94% of GDP (2012)
country comparison to the world: 110
Lesotho's declared policy is maintenance of its independent sovereignty and preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa; restructuring of the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) and Ministry of Defense and Public Service over the past five years has focused on subordinating the defense apparatus to civilian control and restoring the LDF's cohesion; the restructuring has considerably improved capabilities and professionalism, but the LDF is disproportionately large for a small, poor country; the government has outlined a reduction to a planned 1,500-man strength, but these plans have met with vociferous resistance from the political opposition and from inside the LDF (2008)
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
