Lesotho

Lesotho's economy has only just returned to its 2011 peak of US$2.6 billion. GDP stood at US$2.6 billion again in 2025 after US$ GDP rose 7.6% on real growth of +2.0%; the 5.6-percentage-point gap was mostly exchange-rate and price effects, not output. The country held at 174th, unchanged, between Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

Services make up 55.6% of output and industry 25.2%, with manufacturing at 12.1% as of 2024 and agriculture at 6.5%. Inflation was 4.3% and government gross debt 49.4% of GDP. Unemployment, at 16.3%, is the figure that stands out.

With 2.4 million people, output per person is US$1,089, 180th of 196, and $3,184 international dollars on a purchasing-power basis, 179th. Lesotho is the 43rd largest of 47 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and about the size of the Eagle Pass, TX metro area. GDP has grown 2.9x since 2000, when it ranked 165th. The IMF projects US$3.7 billion by 2030, a rise of +42%.