Food exports in Lesotho

Lesotho: Food exports was 23.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
23.3%
Change on year
up 66.5%
World rank
71st
of 196 countries
All-time high
25.6%
in 2013
All-time low
2.2%
in 2000
Years of data
23
2000–2024

Food exports in Lesotho, 2000–2024

05101520252000201220242000: 2.2 % of merchandise exports2001: 14.3 % of merchandise exports2002: 7.2 % of merchandise exports2003: 8.6 % of merchandise exports2004: 4.7 % of merchandise exports2007: 11.2 % of merchandise exports2008: 9.6 % of merchandise exports2009: 8.6 % of merchandise exports2010: 16.4 % of merchandise exports2011: 13 % of merchandise exports2012: 13.6 % of merchandise exports2013: 25.6 % of merchandise exports2014: 9.1 % of merchandise exports2015: 9.6 % of merchandise exports2016: 12 % of merchandise exports2017: 12.5 % of merchandise exports2018: 10 % of merchandise exports2019: 8.5 % of merchandise exports2020: 10 % of merchandise exports2021: 11.5 % of merchandise exports2022: 13.9 % of merchandise exports2023: 14 % of merchandise exports2024: 23.3 % of merchandise exports

Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise exports.

Analysis

The most recent figure for food exports in Lesotho is 23.3%, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 66.5% on the previous year and up 156.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, food exports in Lesotho peaked at 25.6% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 2000.

That places Lesotho 71st out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 8.3% 2.2% 14.3% 8
2010s 13.0% 8.5% 25.6% 10
2020s 14.5% 10.0% 23.3% 5

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 68 Samoa 24.8% compare
  2. 69 Liberia 24.5% compare
  3. 70 Pakistan 24.4% compare
  4. 72 Laos 23.2% compare
  5. 73 El Salvador 22.9% compare
  6. 74 Indonesia 22.9% compare

See the full ranking of 242 places →

More private sector data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is food exports in Lesotho?
Food exports in Lesotho was 23.3% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
What is the highest food exports recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 2013.
What is the lowest food exports recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 2000.
How does Lesotho rank for food exports?
Lesotho ranks 71st out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
Is food exports rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is up 156.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food exports (% of merchandise exports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Food exports (% of merchandise exports)
Unit
% of merchandise exports
Source
Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
242 places, 9,957 data points, 1962–2025
Last refreshed

Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise exports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.