Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Lesotho

Lesotho: Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) was -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
-0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Change on year
down 9.1%
World rank
156th
of 206 countries
All-time high
0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2003
All-time low
-0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
in 2023
Years of data
27
1996–2025

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Lesotho, 1996–2025

-0.8-0.6-0.4-0.2-00.21996201020251996: 0.205 approx. -2.5 to +2.51998: 0.192 approx. -2.5 to +2.52000: 0.191 approx. -2.5 to +2.52002: 0.198 approx. -2.5 to +2.52003: 0.235 approx. -2.5 to +2.52004: -0.405 approx. -2.5 to +2.52005: -0.227 approx. -2.5 to +2.52006: -0.478 approx. -2.5 to +2.52007: -0.518 approx. -2.5 to +2.52008: -0.33 approx. -2.5 to +2.52009: -0.197 approx. -2.5 to +2.52010: -0.212 approx. -2.5 to +2.52011: -0.212 approx. -2.5 to +2.52012: -0.311 approx. -2.5 to +2.52013: -0.339 approx. -2.5 to +2.52014: -0.389 approx. -2.5 to +2.52015: -0.468 approx. -2.5 to +2.52016: -0.515 approx. -2.5 to +2.52017: -0.538 approx. -2.5 to +2.52018: -0.54 approx. -2.5 to +2.52019: -0.563 approx. -2.5 to +2.52020: -0.641 approx. -2.5 to +2.52021: -0.607 approx. -2.5 to +2.52022: -0.679 approx. -2.5 to +2.52023: -0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.52024: -0.586 approx. -2.5 to +2.52025: -0.64 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Source: The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Measured in approx. -2.5 to +2.5.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government effectiveness - governance estimate in Lesotho is -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 9.1% on the previous year and down 36.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government effectiveness - governance estimate in Lesotho peaked at 0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2003 and was at its lowest, -0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, in 2023.

Lesotho ranks 156th of 206 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Lesotho, year by year

Annual values for Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Lesotho, 1996 to 2025.
Year approx. -2.5 to +2.5 Change
1996 0.2055 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 —
1998 0.1921 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -6.5%
2000 0.1913 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4%
2002 0.1981 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +3.6%
2003 0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +18.4%
2004 -0.4051 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -272.7%
2005 -0.2269 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -44.0%
2006 -0.4775 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +110.5%
2007 -0.5182 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +8.5%
2008 -0.3305 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -36.2%
2009 -0.1972 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -40.3%
2010 -0.2118 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +7.4%
2011 -0.2123 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.2%
2012 -0.3107 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +46.3%
2013 -0.3392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.2%
2014 -0.3889 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +14.7%
2015 -0.4679 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +20.3%
2016 -0.5148 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +10.0%
2017 -0.538 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +4.5%
2018 -0.5395 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +0.3%
2019 -0.563 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +4.3%
2020 -0.6413 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +13.9%
2021 -0.6072 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -5.3%
2022 -0.6786 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +11.8%
2023 -0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +8.3%
2024 -0.5862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -20.2%
2025 -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 +9.1%

Lesotho compared with similar countries

  • Lesotho's -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Lesotho's -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.793 approx. -2.5 to +2.5, 81% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5) in Lesotho changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2004 -272.7% 0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4051 approx. -2.5 to +2.5
2006 -110.5% -0.2269 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.4775 approx. -2.5 to +2.5

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 0.1988 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.1921 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.2055 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 2
2000s -0.1702 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.5182 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 9
2010s -0.4086 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.563 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.2118 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 10
2020s -0.648 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 -0.5862 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 6

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 153 Pakistan -0.606 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  2. 154 Ethiopia -0.6158 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  3. 155 Bolivia -0.6166 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  4. 157 Tajikistan -0.6865 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  5. 158 Angola -0.7086 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare
  6. 159 Papua New Guinea -0.7104 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 compare

See the full ranking of 206 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is government effectiveness - governance estimate in Lesotho?
Government effectiveness - governance estimate in Lesotho was -0.6398 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2025, according to The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG).
What is the highest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 0.2345 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2003.
What is the lowest government effectiveness - governance estimate recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was -0.735 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 in 2023.
How does Lesotho rank for government effectiveness - governance estimate?
Lesotho ranks 156th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
Is government effectiveness - governance estimate rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 36.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG), published as part of Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate in Lesotho. Statizoid, drawing on The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG). Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-effectiveness-governance-estimate-approx-2-5-to-2-5/lesotho/

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About this data

Indicator
Government Effectiveness - Governance estimate (approx. -2.5 to +2.5)
Unit
approx. -2.5 to +2.5
Source
The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Revised Methodology for Measuring Governance Using Perception Data., World Bank Group (WBG)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
206 places, 5,392 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

Government Effectiveness (GE) captures perceptions of the quality of public services, the civil service, policy formulation and implementation, and the credibility of a government’s decisions. Governance estimate from the aggregation model, in units of a standard normal distribution, i.e. ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5. Larger values correspond to better governance. The (country-series-time) metadata include the (a) number of sources, and (b) standard error. The number of sources indicates the number of underlying data sources on which the governance estimate is based. The standard error indicates the precision of the governance estimate. Larger values indicate less precise estimates. A 90% confidence interval for the governance estimate is given by the estimate +/- 1.64 times the standard error.