Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Lesotho
Lesotho: Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) was 8.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Interest rate spread in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in lending rate minus deposit rate, %.
Analysis
In 2024, interest rate spread in Lesotho stood at 8.7%.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 14.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, interest rate spread in Lesotho peaked at 12.2% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 1995.
That places Lesotho 26th out of 141 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | lending rate minus deposit rate, % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.5% | — |
| 1984 | 7.7% | +119.5% |
| 1985 | 5.8% | -24.8% |
| 1986 | 3.4% | -41.6% |
| 1987 | 4.1% | +22.2% |
| 1988 | 4.1% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 5.9% | +45.3% |
| 1990 | 7.4% | +25.0% |
| 1991 | 7.0% | -5.6% |
| 1992 | 7.6% | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 7.8% | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 5.8% | -25.0% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | -47.9% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | +64.0% |
| 1997 | 6.2% | +25.0% |
| 1998 | 9.3% | +50.0% |
| 1999 | 11.6% | +24.4% |
| 2000 | 12.2% | +5.1% |
| 2001 | 11.7% | -3.9% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 10.9% | -9.0% |
| 2004 | 8.1% | -25.1% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -7.8% |
| 2006 | 7.6% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 7.7% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 8.5% | +11.4% |
| 2009 | 8.2% | -4.6% |
| 2010 | 7.5% | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 7.7% | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 7.3% | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 7.6% | +7.7% |
| 2015 | 8.2% | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 10.5% | +27.1% |
| 2017 | 10.4% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 10.0% | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 9.7% | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 7.1% | -27.1% |
| 2021 | 6.5% | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 7.3% | +12.0% |
| 2023 | 8.6% | +17.9% |
| 2024 | 8.7% | +1.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 8.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.3%, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 8.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.2%, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %) in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +119.5% | 3.5% | 7.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.9% | 3.4% | 7.7% | 7 |
| 1990s | 7.1% | 3.0% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.4% | 7.5% | 12.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.6% | 7.1% | 10.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.7% | 6.5% | 8.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More financial sector data for Lesotho
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0069 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, US dollar, per capita 7.46 units per person (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, annual growth rate 0.548 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve position in the IMF, SDR, per capita 5.45 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0069 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, US dollar, per capita 7.46 units per person (2025)
- Reserve tranche position, SDR, annual growth rate 0.548 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is interest rate spread in Lesotho?
- Interest rate spread in Lesotho was 8.7% in 2024, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest interest rate spread recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 12.2% in 2000.
- What is the lowest interest rate spread recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 1995.
- How does Lesotho rank for interest rate spread?
- Lesotho ranks 26th out of 141 countries with data for 2024.
- Is interest rate spread rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Interest rate spread (lending rate minus deposit rate, %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Interest rate spread is the interest rate charged by banks on loans to private sector customers minus the interest rate paid by commercial or similar banks for demand, time, or savings deposits. The terms and conditions attached to these rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability.