Remittance inflows to GDP in Lesotho
Lesotho: Remittance inflows to GDP was 20.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Remittance inflows to GDP in Lesotho, 1975–2020
Source: World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank. Measured in %.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 20.9% for remittance inflows to gdp in 2020.
The figure is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 23.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, remittance inflows to gdp in Lesotho peaked at 235.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 15.7%, in 2015.
That places Lesotho 14th out of 197 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Remittance inflows to GDP in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 81.4% | — |
| 1976 | 93.5% | +14.9% |
| 1977 | 85.4% | -8.6% |
| 1978 | 66.6% | -22.1% |
| 1979 | 73.2% | +10.0% |
| 1980 | 61.0% | -16.7% |
| 1981 | 66.9% | +9.7% |
| 1982 | 232.2% | +247.0% |
| 1983 | 228.4% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 230.1% | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 216.3% | -6.0% |
| 1986 | 193.4% | -10.6% |
| 1987 | 235.9% | +22.0% |
| 1988 | 184.8% | -21.7% |
| 1989 | 177.6% | -3.9% |
| 1990 | 167.4% | -5.7% |
| 1991 | 145.2% | -13.3% |
| 1992 | 134.9% | -7.0% |
| 1993 | 124.1% | -8.0% |
| 1994 | 129.0% | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 108.4% | -16.0% |
| 1996 | 98.4% | -9.2% |
| 1997 | 87.6% | -11.0% |
| 1998 | 68.0% | -22.4% |
| 1999 | 57.5% | -15.4% |
| 2000 | 53.8% | -6.4% |
| 2001 | 48.6% | -9.7% |
| 2002 | 50.1% | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 48.1% | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 41.5% | -13.7% |
| 2005 | 35.6% | -14.2% |
| 2006 | 34.1% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 37.9% | +11.3% |
| 2008 | 32.6% | -14.1% |
| 2009 | 31.5% | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 27.3% | -13.3% |
| 2011 | 25.2% | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 22.4% | -11.1% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | -12.6% |
| 2014 | 16.1% | -17.7% |
| 2015 | 15.7% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +36.5% |
| 2017 | 23.8% | +11.1% |
| 2018 | 23.1% | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 22.2% | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 20.9% | -5.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 20.9% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 4.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 20.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.4%, 8.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Remittance inflows to GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | +247.0% | 66.9% | 232.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 80.0% | 66.6% | 93.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 182.7% | 61.0% | 235.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 112.0% | 57.5% | 167.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 41.4% | 31.5% | 53.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.7% | 15.7% | 27.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.9% | 20.9% | 20.9% | 1 |
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 remittance inflows to gdp in Lesotho?
- Remittance inflows to gdp in Lesotho was 20.9% in 2020, according to World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank.
- What is the highest remittance inflows to gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 235.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest remittance inflows to gdp recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.7% in 2015.
- How does Lesotho rank for remittance inflows to gdp?
- Lesotho ranks 14th out of 197 countries with data for 2020.
- Is remittance inflows to gdp rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank, published as part of Remittance inflows to GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Workers' remittances and compensation of employees comprise current transfers by migrant workers and wages and salaries earned by nonresident workers. Data are the sum of three items defined in the fifth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual: workers' remittances, compensation of employees, and migrants' transfers. Remittances are classified as current private transfers from migrant workers resident in the host country for more than a year, irrespective of their immigration status, to recipients in their country of origin. Migrants' transfers are defined as the net worth of migrants who are expected to remain in the host country for more than one year that is transferred from one country to another at the time of migration. Compensation of employees is the income of migrants who have lived in the host country for less than a year.