Lesotho

Introduction

Background

Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basotho National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE II 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 Botswana 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 in 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In 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. MOSISILI returned to power in snap elections in February 2015 after the collapse of THABANE’s coalition government and an alleged attempted military coup. In June 2017, THABANE returned to become prime minister.

Geography

Location

Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa

Geographic coordinates

29 30 S, 28 30 E

Map references

Africa

Area

total: 30,355 sq km
land: 30,355 sq km
water: 0 sq km
country comparison to the world: 142

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries

total: 1,106 km
border countries (1): South Africa 1106 km

Coastline

0 km(landlocked)

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain

mostly highland with plateaus, hills, and mountains

Elevation

mean elevation: 2,161 m
lowest point: junction of the Orange and Makhaleng Rivers 1,400 m
highest point: Thabana Ntlenyana 3,482 m

Natural resources

water, agricultural and grazing land, diamonds, sand, clay, building stone

Land use

agricultural land: 76.1% (2011 est.)
arable land: 10.1% (2011 est.)/permanent crops: 0.1% (2011 est.)/permanent pasture: 65.9% (2011 est.)
forest: 1.5% (2011 est.)
other: 22.4% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land

30 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people

Natural hazards

periodic droughts

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Geography - note

landlocked, an enclave of (completely surrounded by) South Africa; mountainous, more than 80% of the country is 1,800 m above sea level

People and Society

Population

1,962,461 (July 2018 est.)
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
country comparison to the world: 149

Nationality

noun: Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective: Basotho

Ethnic groups

Sotho 99.7%, Europeans, Asians, and other 0.3%

Languages

Sesotho (official) (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa

Religions

Protestant 47.8% (Pentecostal 23.1%, Lesotho Evangelical 17.3%, Anglican 7.4%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, other Christian 9.1%, non-Christian 1.4%, none 2.3% (2014 est.)

Demographic profile

Lesotho faces great socioeconomic challenges. More than half of its population lives below the property line, and the country’s HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is the second highest in the world. In addition, Lesotho is a small, mountainous, landlocked country with little arable land, leaving its population vulnerable to food shortages and reliant on remittances. Lesotho’s persistently high infant, child, and maternal mortality rates have been increasing during the last decade, according to the last two Demographic and Health Surveys. Despite these significant shortcomings, Lesotho has made good progress in education; it is on-track to achieve universal primary education and has one of the highest adult literacy rates in Africa.Lesotho’s migration history is linked to its unique geography; it is surrounded by South Africa with which it shares linguistic and cultural traits. Lesotho at one time had more of its workforce employed outside its borders than any other country. Today remittances equal about 17% of its GDP. With few job options at home, a high rate of poverty, and higher wages available across the border, labor migration to South Africa replaced agriculture as the prevailing Basotho source of income decades ago. The majority of Basotho migrants were single men contracted to work as gold miners in South Africa. However, migration trends changed in the 1990s, and fewer men found mining jobs in South Africa because of declining gold prices, stricter immigration policies, and a preference for South African workers.Although men still dominate cross-border labor migration, more women are working in South Africa, mostly as domestics, because they are widows or their husbands are unemployed. Internal rural-urban flows have also become more frequent, with more women migrating within the country to take up jobs in the garment industry or moving to care for loved ones with HIV/AIDS. Lesotho’s small population of immigrants is increasingly composed of Taiwanese and Chinese migrants who are involved in the textile industry and small retail businesses.

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.84%(male 314,155 /female 310,772)
15-24 years: 19.34%(male 181,332 /female 198,236)
25-54 years: 38.27%(male 366,652 /female 384,333)
55-64 years: 5.02%(male 52,490 /female 46,016)
65 years and over: 5.53%(male 55,804 /female 52,671) (2018 est.)
population pyramid:

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 66.9 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 59.5 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 7.4 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 13.5 (2015 est.)

Median age

total: 24.4 years (2018 est.)
male: 24.4 years
female: 24.3 years
country comparison to the world: 164

Population growth rate

0.24% (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 178

Birth rate

24.2 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52

Death rate

15.1 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2

Net migration rate

-6.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

Population distribution

relatively higher population density in the western half of the nation, with the capital of Maseru, and the smaller cities of Mafeteng, Teyateyaneng, and Leribe attracting the most people

Urbanization

urban population: 28.6% of total population(2019)
rate of urbanization: 2.83% annual rate of change(2015-20 est.)

Major urban areas - population

202,000 MASERU (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

21 years (2014 est.)
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality rate

544 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17

Infant mortality rate

total: 44.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)
male: 48.1 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 40.9 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 36

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 53 years (2018 est.)
male: 53 years
female: 53.1 years
country comparison to the world: 221

Total fertility rate

2.59 children born/woman (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

Contraceptive prevalence rate

60.2% (2014)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 94.6% of population
rural: 77% of population
total: 81.8% of population
unimproved: urban: 5.4% of population
rural: 23% of population
total: 18.2% of population (2015 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

8.1% (2016)

Physicians density

0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 37.3% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 27.6% of population (2015 est.)
total: 30.3% of population (2015 est.)
unimproved: urban: 62.7% of population (2015 est.)
rural: 72.4% of population (2015 est.)
total: 69.7% of population (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

23.6% (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

340,000 (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20

HIV/AIDS - deaths

6,100 (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

16.6% (2016)
country comparison to the world: 122

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

10.5% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 60

Education expenditures

6.4% of GDP (2018)
country comparison to the world: 23

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 70.1%
female: 88.3% (2015)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years
male: 10 years
female: 11 years (2015)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 34.4%
male: NA
female: NA (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24

Government

Country name

conventional long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form: Lesotho
local long form: Kingdom of Lesotho
local short form: Lesotho
former: Basutoland
etymology: the name translates as "Land of the Sesotho Speakers"

Government type

parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Capital

name: Maseru
geographic coordinates: 29 19 S, 27 29 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
etymology: in the Sesotho language the name means "[place of] red sandstones"

Administrative divisions

10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka

Independence

4 October 1966 (from the UK)

National holiday

Independence Day, 4 October (1966)

Constitution

history: previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version)
amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king; passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament; amended several times, last in 2011 (2017)

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes
citizenship by descent only: yes
dual citizenship recognized: no
residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 Thomas Motsoahae THABANE (since 16 June 2017)
cabinet: consists of the prime minister, appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State, the deputy prime minister, and 26 other ministers
elections/appointments: 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, to determine next in line of succession, or to serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the Assembly automatically becomes prime minister

Legislative branch

description: bicameral Parliament consists of:
Senate (33 seats; 22 principal chiefs and 11 other senators nominated by the king with the advice of the Council of State, a 13-member body of key government and non-government officials; members serve 5-year terms)
National Assembly (120 seats; 80 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 40 elected through proportional representation; members serve 5-year terms)
elections: Senate - last nominated by the king 11 July 2017 (next NA)
National Assembly - last held on 3 June 2017 (next to be held in 2022)
election results: Senate - percent of votes by party - NA, seats by party - NA; composition - men 25, women 8, percent of women 24.2%
National Assembly - percent of votes by party - ABC 40.5%, DC 25.8%, LCD 9%, AD 7.3%, MEC 5.1%, BNP 4.1, PFD 2.3%, other 5.9%; seats by party - ABC 51, DC 30, LCD 11, AD 9, MEC 6, BNP 5, PFD 3, other 5; composition - men 95, women 27, percent of women 22.5%; note - total Parliament percent of women 22.9%

Judicial branch

highest courts: 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; military courts

Political parties and leaders

All Basotho Convention or ABC [Thomas Motsoahae THABANE]
Alliance of Democrats or AD [Monyane MOLELEKI]
Basotho Congress Party or BCP [Thulo MAHLAKENG]
Basotho National Party or BNP [Thesele MASERIBANE]
Democratic Congress or DC [Pakalitha MOSISILI]
Democratic Party of Lesotho or DPL [Limpho TAU]
Lesotho Congress for Democracy or LCD [Mothetjoa METSING]
Movement of Economic Change or MEC [Selibe MOCHOBOROANE]
National Independent Party or NIP [Kimetso MATHABA]
Popular Front for Democracy of PFD [Lekhetho RAKUOANE]
Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL [Keketso RANTSO]

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, CD, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

Ambassador Sankatana Gabriel MAJA (since 22 June 2018)
chancery: 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 797-5533
FAX: [1] (202) 234-6815

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Rebecca E. GONZALES (since 8 February 2018)
telephone: [266] 22 312 666
embassy: 254 Kingsway Road, Maseru West
mailing address: P.O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
FAX: [266] 22 310 116

Flag description

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

National symbol(s)

mokorotio (Basotho hat); national colors: blue, white, green, black

National anthem

name: "Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)
lyrics/music: Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR
note: adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

Economy

Economy - overview

Small, mountainous, and completely landlocked by South Africa, Lesotho depends on a narrow economic base of textile manufacturing, agriculture, remittances, and regional customs revenue. About three-fourths of the people live in rural areas and engage in animal herding and subsistence agriculture, although Lesotho produces less than 20% of the nation's demand for food. Agriculture is vulnerable to weather and climate variability.Lesotho relies on South Africa for much of its economic activity; Lesotho imports 85% 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. Lesotho is a member of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), and revenues from SACU accounted for roughly 26% of total GDP in 2016; however, SACU revenues are volatile and expected to decline over the next 5 years. Lesotho also gains royalties from the South African Government 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.The government maintains a large presence in the economy - government consumption accounted for about 26% of GDP in 2017. The government remains Lesotho's largest employer; in 2016, the government wage bill rose to 23% of GDP – the largest in sub-Saharan Africa. 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 accounted for nearly 35% of total exports in 2015. Lesotho managed steady GDP growth at an average of 4.5% from 2010 to 2014, dropping to about 2.5% in 2015-16, but poverty remains widespread around 57% of the total population.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$6.656 billion (2017 est.)
$6.762 billion (2016 est.)
$6.561 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 170

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.749 billion (2017 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

-1.6% (2017 est.)
3.1% (2016 est.)
2.5% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,300 (2017 est.)
$3,400 (2016 est.)
$3,300 (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
country comparison to the world: 190

Gross national saving

20.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
19.7% of GDP (2016 est.)
24.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 69.2% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 26.4% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 31.4% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -13.4% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 40.8% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -54.4% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 5.8% (2016 est.)
industry: 39.2% (2016 est.)
services: 54.9% (2017 est.)

Agriculture - products

corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley; livestock

Industries

food, beverages, textiles, apparel assembly, handicrafts, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate

12.5% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6

Labor force

930,800 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 86%
industry and services: 14% (2002 est.)
note: most of the resident population is engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 35% of the active male wage earners work in South Africa

Unemployment rate

28.1% (2014 est.)
25% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205

Population below poverty line

57% (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 39.4% (2003)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

63.2 (1995)
56 (1986-87)
country comparison to the world: 1

Budget

revenues: 1.09 billion (2017 est.)
expenditures: 1.255 billion (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

39.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184

Public debt

33.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
36.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.3% (2017 est.)
6.2% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173

Central bank discount rate

6.75% (2 February 2016)
6.25% (31 December 2015)
country comparison to the world: 53

Commercial bank prime lending rate

11.58% (31 December 2017 est.)
11.58% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69

Stock of narrow money

$420.8 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$356.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175

Stock of broad money

$420.8 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$356.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179

Stock of domestic credit

$442.3 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$230.9 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180

Current account balance

-$102 million (2017 est.)
-$201 million (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86

Exports

$1.028 billion (2017 est.)
$894 million (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160

Exports - partners

South Africa 57%, US 33.5% (2017)

Exports - commodities

manufactures (clothing, footwear), wool and mohair, food and live animals, electricity, water, diamonds

Imports

$1.826 billion (2017 est.)
$1.613 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 172

Imports - commodities

food; building materials, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum products

Imports - partners

South Africa 87.2% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$657.7 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$925.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 143

Debt - external

$934.6 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$921.3 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$497.7 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$456.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 129

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$122 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$206.9 million (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109

Exchange rates

maloti (LSL) per US dollar -
14.48 (2017 est.)
14.71 (2016 est.)
14.71 (2015 est.)
12.76 (2014 est.)
10.85 (2013 est.)

Energy

Electricity access

population without electricity: 1 million (2017)
electrification - total population: 29.7% (2016)
electrification - urban areas: 66% (2016)
electrification - rural areas: 15.7% (2016)

Electricity - production

510 million kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

Electricity - consumption

847.3 million kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

Electricity - imports

373 million kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 84

Electricity - installed generating capacity

80,400 kW (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184

Electricity - from fossil fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 213

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

100% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 1

Electricity - from other renewable sources

1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

Refined petroleum products - consumption

5,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171

Refined petroleum products - imports

5,118 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 167

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

711,100 Mt (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 177

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 10,637
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 194

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 2,380,804
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 122 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146

Telephone system

general assessment: rudimentary system consisting of a modest number of landlines, a small microwave radio relay system, and a small radiotelephone communication system; fixed-line teledensity is low; mobile-cellular telephone system is expanding;  commercial services with LTE technology (2018)
domestic: mobile-cellular service dominates the market with a subscribership now over 122 per 100 persons; fixed-line is 1 per 100 subscriptions (2018)
international: country code - 266; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); Internet accessibility has improved with several submarine fibre optic cables that land on African east and west coasts, but the country's land locked position makes access prices expensive (2019)

Broadcast media

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 (2019)

Internet country code

.ls

Internet users

total: 534,360
percent of population: 27.4% (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 4,984
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176

Military and Security

Military expenditures

1.81% of GDP (2018)
2.01% of GDP (2017)
1.83% of GDP (2016)
1.85% of GDP (2015)
1.84% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 62

Military and security forces

Lesotho Defense Force (LDF): Army (includes Air Wing) (2012)

Military service age and obligation

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women serve as commissioned officers (2012)

Military - note

Lesotho's declared policy for its military is the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa

Transportation

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

7P (2016)

Airports

24 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 131

Airports - with paved runways

total: 3 (2017)
over 3,047 m: 1 (2017)
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2017)
under 914 m: 1 (2017)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 21 (2013)
914 to 1,523 m: 5 (2013)
under 914 m: 16 (2013)

Roadways

total: 5,940 km (2011)
paved: 1,069 km (2011)
unpaved: 4,871 km (2011)
country comparison to the world: 140

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international

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

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Lesotho is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking and for men subjected to forced labor; in Lesotho and South Africa, Basotho women and children are subjected to domestic servitude, and Basotho children increasingly endure commercial sexual exploitation; some Basotho men who voluntarily migrate to South Africa for work become victims of forced labor in agriculture and mining or are coerced into committing crimes; foreign nationals continue to traffic fellow citizens in Lesotho
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List – Lesotho does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; in 2014, Lesotho was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan that, if implemented would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; the government failed to initiate any prosecutions against alleged traffickers and has not convicted any offenders under the 2011 anti-trafficking act, which remains unimplemented for a fifth year; authorities did not develop formal victim identification and referral procedures, did not establish victim care centers, as required under the 2011 anti-trafficking act, and did not support NGOs offering victims protective services (2015)

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