Military spending in Lesotho
Lesotho: Military spending was 44.77 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023. ▲ Rising
Military spending in Lesotho, 1966–2023
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending in Lesotho is 44.77 million constant 2022 US$, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.0% on the previous year and down 24.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending in Lesotho peaked at 62.31 million constant 2022 US$ in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.17 million constant 2022 US$, in 1978.
Lesotho ranks 159th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.50 million constant 2022 US$ | 12.16 million constant 2022 US$ | 12.66 million constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
| 1970s | 9.41 million constant 2022 US$ | 6.17 million constant 2022 US$ | 16.60 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.19 million constant 2022 US$ | 21.38 million constant 2022 US$ | 57.68 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 46.13 million constant 2022 US$ | 40.16 million constant 2022 US$ | 54.71 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 43.69 million constant 2022 US$ | 33.80 million constant 2022 US$ | 58.52 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 58.50 million constant 2022 US$ | 52.21 million constant 2022 US$ | 62.31 million constant 2022 US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.41 million constant 2022 US$ | 43.07 million constant 2022 US$ | 50.20 million constant 2022 US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 156 Suriname 60.49 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 157 East Timor 57.24 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 158 Barbados 50.59 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 160 Liberia 39.49 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 161 Belize 32.73 million constant 2022 US$ compare
- 162 Bhutan 31.32 million constant 2022 US$ compare
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.6457 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 1.77 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 0.6724 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.5102 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies -0.4131 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 221.03 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending in Lesotho?
- Military spending in Lesotho was 44.77 million constant 2022 US$ in 2023, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 62.31 million constant 2022 US$ in 2012.
- What is the lowest military spending recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.17 million constant 2022 US$ in 1978.
- How does Lesotho rank for military spending?
- Lesotho ranks 159th out of 172 countries with data for 2023.
- Is military spending rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.