Lesotho

• temperate;
• cool to cold, dry winters;
• hot, wet summers

noun:

Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)

adjective:

Basotho

total:

24 years (2025 est.)

male:

23.4 years

female:

24.3 years

at birth:

1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.59 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

52.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

51 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

40.2 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

60.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

58.1 years

female:

62.3 years

total:

3.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

1.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.44 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.82 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

22.8% (2025 est.)

male:

42.4% (2025 est.)

female:

4.1% (2025 est.)

women married by age 15:

1% (2018)

women married by age 18:

16.4% (2018)

men married by age 18:

1.9% (2018)

• overgrazing;
• severe soil erosion;
• soil exhaustion;
• desertification;
• Highlands Water Project controls, stores, and redirects water to South Africa

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• temperate;
• cool to cold, dry winters;
• hot, wet summers

urban population:

30.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.77% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

73,500 tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

11.9% (2022 est.)

municipal:

20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

20 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

3.8 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Kingdom of Lesotho

conventional short form:

Lesotho

local long form:

Kingdom of Lesotho

local short form:

Lesotho

former:

Basutoland

etymology:

• the name comes from the Sotho people, whose name means "dark-skinned;" Le - is a singular noun prefix;
• the former name, Basutoland, uses the plural noun prefix, Ba -

name:

Maseru

geographic coordinates:

29 19 S, 27 29 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

the name means "[place of] red sandstones" in the Sesotho language

history:

previous 1959, 1967; latest adopted 2 April 1993 (effectively restoring the 1967 version)

amendment process:

• proposed by Parliament;
• passage of amendments affecting constitutional provisions, including fundamental rights and freedoms, sovereignty of the kingdom, the office of the king, and powers of Parliament, requires a majority vote by the National Assembly, approval by the Senate, approval in a referendum by a majority of qualified voters, and assent of the king;
• passage of amendments other than those specified provisions requires at least a two-thirds majority vote in both houses of Parliament

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

King LETSIE III (since 7 February 1996)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ntsokoane Samuel MATEKANE (28 October 2022)

cabinet:

• consists of the prime minister (appointed by the King on the advice of the Council of State), the deputy prime minister, and 18 other ministers;
• the prime minister is the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the National Assembly

election/appointment process:

• the monarchy is hereditary but has no executive or legislative powers under the constitution;
• under traditional law, the College of Chiefs has the power to depose the monarch, determine next in line of succession, or serve as regent in the event that a successor is not of mature age

note: King LETSIE III previously occupied the throne from November 1990 to February 1995 while his father was in exile

legislature name:

Parliament

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

National Assembly

number of seats:

122 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

mixed system

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

11/2/2022

parties elected and seats per party:

• Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) (56);
• Democratic Congress (DC) (29);
• All Basotho Convention (ABC) (8);
• Basotho Action Party (BAP) (6);
• Other (20)

percentage of women in chamber:

25%

expected date of next election:

October 2027

chamber name:

Senate

number of seats:

33 (11 appointed)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

5 years

most recent election date:

10/7/2022

percentage of women in chamber:

21.2%

expected date of next election:

November 2027

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of the court president, such number of justices of appeal as set by Parliament, and the Chief Justice and the puisne judges of the High Court ex officio);
• High Court (consists of the chief justice and such number of puisne judges as set by Parliament)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal president and High Court chief justice appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister;
• puisne judges appointed by the monarch on advice of the Judicial Service Commission, an independent body of judicial officers and officials designated by the monarch;
• judges of both courts can serve until age 75

subordinate courts:

• Magistrate Courts;
• customary or traditional courts;
• military courts

note: both the Court of Appeal and the High Court have jurisdiction in constitutional issues

• All Basotho Convention or ABC
• Alliance of Democrats or AD
• Basotho Action Party or BAP
• Basotho National Party or BNP
• Democratic Congress or DC
• Democratic Party of Lesotho or DPL
• Lesotho People's Congress or LPC
• Movement of Economic Change or MEC
• National Independent Party or NIP
• Popular Front for Democracy of PFD
• Reformed Congress of Lesotho or RCL

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tumisang MOSOTHO (since 16 September 2022)

chancery:

2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 797-5533

FAX:

[1] (202) 234-6815

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.gov.ls/

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Thomas HINES (since August 2024)

embassy:

254 Kingsway Avenue, Maseru

mailing address:

2340 Maseru Place, Washington DC 20521-2340

telephone:

[266] 22312666

FAX:

[266] 22310116

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://ls.usembassy.gov/

description:

• three horizontal stripes of blue (top), white, and green;
• centered on the white stripe is a black mokorotlo , a traditional Basotho straw hat and national symbol

meaning:

blue stands for rain, white for peace, and green for prosperity

history:

the redesigned flag was introduced in 2006 to celebrate 40 years of independence

title:

"Lesotho fatse la bo ntat'a rona" (Lesotho, Land of Our Fathers)

lyrics/music:

Francois COILLARD/Ferdinand-Samuel LAUR

history:

adopted 1967; music derives from an 1823 Swiss songbook

total World Heritage Sites:

1 (mixed)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

Maloti-Drakensberg Park

• lower middle-income economy surrounded by South Africa;
• environmentally fragile and politically unstable;
• key infrastructure and renewable energy investments;
• dire poverty;
• urban job and income losses due to COVID-19;
• systemic corruption

agriculture:

6.5% (2024 est.)

industry:

31% (2024 est.)

services:

48% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

24.2% (2024 est.)

male:

17.7% (2024 est.)

female:

36.2% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

1.7% (2017 est.)

highest 10%:

32.9% (2017 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

production:

57,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

consumption:

81,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

1 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

24,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

total subscriptions:

7,000 (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2023 est.) less than 1

• 1 state-owned TV station and 2 state-owned radio stations;
• most private broadcast media transmitters are connected to government radio signal towers;
• satellite TV subscription service available;
• transmissions of multiple international broadcasters obtainable (2019)

total:

9,000 (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2023 est.) less than 1

• the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) is responsible for the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security;
• in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa;
• the LDF is a small force that began in 1964 as the Police Mobile Unit (PMU);
• the PMU was designated as the Lesotho Paramilitary Force in 1980 and became the Royal Lesotho Defense Force in 1986;
• it was renamed the Lesotho Defense Force in 1993 (2025)