Lesotho: Fact file

Updated October 2009

Name Kingdom of Lesotho
Area 30 355 sq km (Frame 2008, 636)
Capital Maseru
Major sttlemets Maputsoe, Teyateyaneng, Mafeteng, Hlotse (Frame 2008, 636)
Boundaries South Africa (landlocked enclave)
Population 2 million, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Natural pop growth 1.2%, 2005-2010 (UNDP 2009)
Urbanisation 26.9%, 1990 (UNDP 2009)
Life expectancy Female 45.5 yrs, male 43.9 yrs, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 15-49 yrs: 23.2%; 2007 (WHO 2008)
Adult literacy rate Female 90.3%, male 73.7%, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Health expenditure 7.8% of government expenditure; 2004 (UNDP 2009)
Legal system Mixture of Roman-Dutch and English Common Law, customary law (Dube 2008)
Independence October 4, 1966 (from UK)
GDP US$1.6 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008)
GDP per capita US$665, 2007 est (IMF 2008)
GDP growth rate 3.5%, 2008 est (IMF 2009)
Main exports Textiles, food, other manufactures (Frame 2008, 639)
Currency 1 Loti (plural: Maloti) = 100 Lisente (sing: Sente)
Unemployment 63.5%, 2004 (Global Policy Network et al 2006)
Inflation rate 10.7%, 2008 est (IMF 2009)
External debt ratio 35.4% of GDP, 2008 (IMF 2009)
Roads 6 000 km track (four wheel drive), 887 km tarred (Frame 2008, 633)
Rail 2.6 km (Frame 2008, 634)
Airports 28 airports, 4 paved; 1 international (Frame 2008, 634)
Ethnic groups Basotho 99.7, Asians, whites (One World undated)
Languages Official: Sesotho (South Sotho), English. Others Phuthi, Zulu, Xhosa (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 91% (Roman Catholic 37.5%, Protestant 18%, Independent 11.8%), African Traditional 7.7%. (Religious Freedom 2001)

Sources

DUBE, BA 2008 "The Law and Legal Research in Lesotho" IN Hauser Global Law School Program, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Lesotho.htm [opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Lesotho" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Lesotho [opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

GLOBAL POLICY NETWORK & LESOTHO CLOTHING & ALLIED WORKERS' UNION 2006 'Highlights of current labor market conditions in Lesotho' [www] http://www.gpn.org/data/lesotho/lesotho-analysis.doc [MS Word document] (accessed 19 may 2009).

IMF 2008 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 21 Apr 2008).

IMF 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, 66, 70, 88, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/afr/eng/sreo0409.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 18 May 2009).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

ONE WORLD UNDATED "Lesotho" IN Nations Online, [www] http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/lesotho.htm [opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 2001 "Nation profile: Lesotho", [www] http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/nationprofiles/Lesotho/rbodies.html [opens new window] (accessed 22 Apr 2008).

UNDP 2009 "Lesotho HDI Rank - 156", IN Human Development Report 2009, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_LSO.html [opens new window] (accessed 15 October 2009).

WHO 2008 "Epidemiological Fact Sheet on HIV and AIDS Core data on epidemiology and response", 4, [www] http://www.who.int/globalatlas/predefinedReports/EFS2008/full/EFS2008_LS.pdf [PDF document, opens in window] (accessed 18 May 2009).