Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Lesotho
Lesotho: Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS was 10.4% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Lesotho, 2000–2024
Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 10.4% for proportion of total government spending on essential services in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 14 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of total government spending on essential services in Lesotho peaked at 32.5% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 10.4%, in 2024.
That places Lesotho 146th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 14 years of available data.
Proportion of total government spending on essential services … UIS in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 19.1% | — |
| 2001 | 23.0% | +20.0% |
| 2002 | 23.5% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 31.5% | +34.1% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | -13.8% |
| 2005 | 32.5% | +19.8% |
| 2006 | 29.0% | -11.0% |
| 2008 | 24.2% | -16.4% |
| 2015 | 13.9% | -42.5% |
| 2016 | 14.0% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 15.1% | +8.0% |
| 2018 | 14.1% | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 11.0% | -21.9% |
| 2024 | 10.4% | -5.7% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 10.4% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.5%, 72% of the median. (41 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 10.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.4%, 72% of the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 26.2% | 19.1% | 32.5% | 8 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 13.9% | 15.1% | 4 |
| 2020s | 10.7% | 10.4% | 11.0% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More education data for Lesotho
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 5,672 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 30,627 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 22,924 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 23,698 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 136,497 (2017)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 309,480 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.8093 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1324 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of total government spending on essential services in Lesotho?
- Proportion of total government spending on essential services in Lesotho was 10.4% in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
- What is the highest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 32.5% in 2005.
- What is the lowest proportion of total government spending on essential services recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.4% in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for proportion of total government spending on essential services?
- Lesotho ranks 146th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of total government spending on essential services rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Proportion of total government spending on essential services, education [UIS methodology] (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested).