Net foreign assets in Lesotho
Lesotho: Net foreign assets was 25.32 billion current LCU in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
25.32 billion current LCU
Change on year
up 14.7%
World rank
124th
of 187 countries
All-time high
25.32 billion current LCU
in 2024
All-time low
49.96 million current LCU
in 1981
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Net foreign assets in Lesotho, 1980–2024
Source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 25.32 billion current LCU for net foreign assets in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of up 14.7% on the previous year and up 81.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, net foreign assets in Lesotho peaked at 25.32 billion current LCU in 2024 and was at its lowest, 49.96 million current LCU, in 1981.
That places Lesotho 124th out of 187 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.
Net foreign assets in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 64.09 million current LCU | — |
| 1981 | 49.96 million current LCU | -22.0% |
| 1982 | 72.94 million current LCU | +46.0% |
| 1983 | 110.01 million current LCU | +50.8% |
| 1984 | 170.35 million current LCU | +54.9% |
| 1985 | 208.62 million current LCU | +22.5% |
| 1986 | 200.05 million current LCU | -4.1% |
| 1987 | 184.12 million current LCU | -8.0% |
| 1988 | 191.57 million current LCU | +4.0% |
| 1989 | 170.25 million current LCU | -11.1% |
| 1990 | 337.01 million current LCU | +98.0% |
| 1991 | 433.55 million current LCU | +28.6% |
| 1992 | 668.18 million current LCU | +54.1% |
| 1993 | 938.41 million current LCU | +40.4% |
| 1994 | 1.32 billion current LCU | +41.0% |
| 1995 | 1.72 billion current LCU | +30.1% |
| 1996 | 2.22 billion current LCU | +29.0% |
| 1997 | 2.80 billion current LCU | +26.1% |
| 1998 | 3.62 billion current LCU | +29.1% |
| 1999 | 3.43 billion current LCU | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 3.56 billion current LCU | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 5.16 billion current LCU | +45.0% |
| 2002 | 3.85 billion current LCU | -25.4% |
| 2003 | 3.46 billion current LCU | -10.1% |
| 2004 | 3.98 billion current LCU | +15.1% |
| 2005 | 4.27 billion current LCU | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 6.17 billion current LCU | +44.3% |
| 2007 | 8.48 billion current LCU | +37.5% |
| 2008 | 11.24 billion current LCU | +32.5% |
| 2009 | 10.84 billion current LCU | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 10.10 billion current LCU | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 9.91 billion current LCU | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 10.14 billion current LCU | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 12.84 billion current LCU | +26.6% |
| 2014 | 13.96 billion current LCU | +8.8% |
| 2015 | 16.13 billion current LCU | +15.5% |
| 2016 | 13.02 billion current LCU | -19.3% |
| 2017 | 12.62 billion current LCU | -3.0% |
| 2018 | 14.34 billion current LCU | +13.6% |
| 2019 | 14.34 billion current LCU | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 17.30 billion current LCU | +20.7% |
| 2021 | 17.64 billion current LCU | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 15.86 billion current LCU | -10.1% |
| 2023 | 22.08 billion current LCU | +39.2% |
| 2024 | 25.32 billion current LCU | +14.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 25.32 billion current LCU is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 256.19 billion current LCU, 10% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 25.32 billion current LCU is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 241.93 billion current LCU, 10% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 142.20 million current LCU | 49.96 million current LCU | 208.62 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.75 billion current LCU | 337.01 million current LCU | 3.62 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.10 billion current LCU | 3.46 billion current LCU | 11.24 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.74 billion current LCU | 9.91 billion current LCU | 16.13 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.64 billion current LCU | 15.86 billion current LCU | 25.32 billion current LCU | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 121 Kuwait 28.58 billion current LCU compare
- 122 Bolivia 25.97 billion current LCU compare
- 123 Azerbaijan 25.43 billion current LCU compare
- 125 Seychelles 25.30 billion current LCU compare
- 126 Mauritania 23.65 billion current LCU compare
- 127 Bosnia and Herzegovina 23.03 billion current LCU compare
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 net foreign assets in Lesotho?
- Net foreign assets in Lesotho was 25.32 billion current LCU in 2024, according to International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest net foreign assets recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 25.32 billion current LCU in 2024.
- What is the lowest net foreign assets recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.96 million current LCU in 1981.
- How does Lesotho rank for net foreign assets?
- Lesotho ranks 124th out of 187 countries with data for 2024.
- Is net foreign assets rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Net foreign assets (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.