Lesotho: Fact file
Updated March 2010
| 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) |
| Infant mortality | 70/1000, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2010a) |
| HIV/AIDS prevalence | 15-49 yrs: 23.2%; 2007 (WHO 2008) |
| Adult literacy rate | Female 90.3%, male 73.7%, 2007 (UNDP 2009) |
| Military expenditure | 2.4% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010b) |
| Health expenditure | 5.5% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010c) |
| 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$430, 2008 (IMF 2009) |
| GDP growth rate | 3.5%, 2008 (IMF 2009, 62) |
| 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 (IMF 2009, 66) |
| External debt ratio | 35.5% of GDP, 2008 (IMF 2009, 84) |
| 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 ±90% (Roman Catholic ±45%, Protestant ±45%), African Traditional ±10%. (US Department of State 2009) |
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 17 Mar 2010).
ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Lesotho" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Lesotho [opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
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 17 Mar 2010).
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 17 Mar 2010).
IMF 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/AFR/eng/sreo1009.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
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 17 Mar 2010).
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 17 Mar 2010).
UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010a "Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010b "Military expenditure (% of GDP)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010c "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Gross+domestic+product&d=WHO&f=inID%3AHSR20 [opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
US DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2009 "Lesotho" IN International Religious Freedom Report 2009, [www] http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127239.htm [opens new window] (accessed 17 Mar 2010).
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 17 Mar 2010).
