Military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho

Lesotho: Military spending per armed forces personnel was 22,477 constant 2024 US$ in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
22,477 constant 2024 US$
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
91st
of 160 countries
All-time high
29,915 constant 2024 US$
in 2010
All-time low
4,997 constant 2024 US$
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020

Military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho, 1985–2020

5.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k25.0k30.0k1985200220201985: 5.0k constant 2024 US$1989: 7.4k constant 2024 US$1990: 7.0k constant 2024 US$1991: 5.8k constant 2024 US$1992: 5.6k constant 2024 US$1993: 5.2k constant 2024 US$1994: 6.1k constant 2024 US$1995: 7.5k constant 2024 US$1996: 6.7k constant 2024 US$1997: 11.0k constant 2024 US$1998: 13.0k constant 2024 US$1999: 18.4k constant 2024 US$2000: 17.7k constant 2024 US$2001: 18.6k constant 2024 US$2002: 14.2k constant 2024 US$2003: 13.4k constant 2024 US$2004: 12.5k constant 2024 US$2005: 12.7k constant 2024 US$2006: 13.4k constant 2024 US$2007: 14.6k constant 2024 US$2008: 10.6k constant 2024 US$2009: 22.7k constant 2024 US$2010: 29.9k constant 2024 US$2011: 23.3k constant 2024 US$2012: 22.7k constant 2024 US$2013: 22.9k constant 2024 US$2014: 24.3k constant 2024 US$2015: 25.6k constant 2024 US$2016: 26.1k constant 2024 US$2017: 28.5k constant 2024 US$2018: 26.4k constant 2024 US$2019: 24.0k constant 2024 US$2020: 22.5k constant 2024 US$

Source: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2024 US$.

Analysis

The most recent figure for military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho is 22,477 constant 2024 US$, measured in 2020.

That represents a change of down 6.5% on the previous year and down 24.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho peaked at 29,915 constant 2024 US$ in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4,997 constant 2024 US$, in 1985.

Lesotho ranks 91st of 160 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 6,195 constant 2024 US$ 4,997 constant 2024 US$ 7,392 constant 2024 US$ 2
1990s 8,633 constant 2024 US$ 5,177 constant 2024 US$ 18,425 constant 2024 US$ 10
2000s 15,030 constant 2024 US$ 10,602 constant 2024 US$ 22,667 constant 2024 US$ 10
2010s 25,370 constant 2024 US$ 22,691 constant 2024 US$ 29,915 constant 2024 US$ 10
2020s 22,477 constant 2024 US$ 22,477 constant 2024 US$ 22,477 constant 2024 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Lesotho

  1. 88 Ukraine 24,352 constant 2024 US$ compare
  2. 89 Papua New Guinea 23,831 constant 2024 US$ compare
  3. 90 East Timor 23,610 constant 2024 US$ compare
  4. 92 Morocco 21,729 constant 2024 US$ compare
  5. 93 Bangladesh 20,749 constant 2024 US$ compare
  6. 94 Senegal 20,668 constant 2024 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 160 places →

More reference data data for Lesotho

All data for Lesotho →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho?
Military spending per armed forces personnel in Lesotho was 22,477 constant 2024 US$ in 2020, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Lesotho?
The highest recorded value was 29,915 constant 2024 US$ in 2010.
What is the lowest military spending per armed forces personnel recorded in Lesotho?
The lowest recorded value was 4,997 constant 2024 US$ in 1985.
How does Lesotho rank for military spending per armed forces personnel?
Lesotho ranks 91st out of 160 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending per armed forces personnel rising or falling in Lesotho?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Lesotho data come from?
The figures come from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending per armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Military spending per armed forces personnel
Unit
constant 2024 US$
Source
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (2026); The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
160 places, 4,610 data points, 1985–2020
Last refreshed

Total military expenditure divided by armed forces personnel. 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.