Lesotho: Fact file

Updated November 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	2.084 million, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009a)
Natural pop growth	0.87%, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009b)
Urbanisation	24.7%, 2007 est (UN Statistics Division undated)
Life expectancy	Female 45.8 yrs, male 44.5 yrs; 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009c, 2009d)
Infant mortality	70/1000, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009e)
HIV/AIDS prevalence	23.2%, 15-49 yr 2007 est (UN Statistics Division 2009f)
Adult literacy rate	82%; 2003-2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010a)
Military expenditure	2.6% of GDP; 2008 (UN Statistics Division 2010b)
Health expenditure	5.5% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2008)
Legal system	Mixture of Roman-Dutch and English Common Law, customary law (Dube 2008)
Independence	October 4, 1966 (from UK)
GDP	US$1.622 billion, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010c)
GDP per capita	US$788, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2009g)
GDP growth rate	3.9%, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010d)
Main exports	Textiles, food, other manufactures (Frame 2008, 639)
Currency	1 Loti (plural: Maloti) = 100 Lisente (sing: Sente)
Unemployment	21%, 2008 (AFDB/OECD 2010)
Inflation rate	9.6%, 2008 (UN Statistics Division 2010e)
External debt ratio	42.2% of GDP, 2009 (IMF 2010, 95)
Roads	Total 5 299 km (43% poor), paved 1 041 km (35% poor), unpaved 4 258 km (46% poor); 2008 (World Bank 2009)
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 80%, African Traditional 20% (US Department of State 2010)

References

AFDB/OECD 2010 "Lesotho" IN African Economic Outlook, [www] http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/southern-africa/lesotho/ [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

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 Nov 2010).

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

LEWIS, M P (ed) 2009 "Languages of Lesotho" IN Ethnologue: Languages of the World, sixteenth edition, [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=LS [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

IMF 2010 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2010/AFR/eng/pdf/sreo1010.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

ONE WORLD UNDATED "Lesotho" IN Nations Online, [www] http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/lesotho.htm [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2008 "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, 14 Jul, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Gross+domestic+product&d=WHO&f=inID%3AHSR20 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009a "Total population, both sexes combined" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a12 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009b "Population growth rate" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a47 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009c "Life expectancy at birth, females" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a67 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009d "Life expectancy at birth, males" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a66 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009e "Infant mortality rate" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009f "Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=HIV%2fAIDS+prevalence&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a73 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009g "Per capita GDP at current prices" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=SNAAMA&f=grID%3a101%3bcurrID%3aUSD%3bpcFlag%3a1 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010a "Adult literacy rate" IN UNdata, 14 Ju, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Adult+literacy&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a74 [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010b "Military expenditure" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010c "GDP" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.CD [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010d "GDP growth" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010e "Inflation, GDP deflator" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Inflation&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.DEFL.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION UNDATED "Lesotho", [www] http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Lesotho [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2010 "Lesotho" IN International Religious Freedom Report 2010, [www] http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148697.htm [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

WORLD BANK 2009 "Development Data Platform" IN Africa Infrastructure Country Diagnostic [www] http://www.infrastructureafrica.org/aicd/tools/data [opens new window] (accessed 25 Nov 2010).