Total natural resource rents in Lesotho
Lesotho: Total natural resource rents was 4.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents in Lesotho, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 4.3% for total natural resource rents in 2021.
The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and up 11.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Lesotho peaked at 13.7% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1993.
Lesotho ranks 81st of 211 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 9.3% | — |
| 1971 | 7.1% | -23.9% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 8.3% | +12.3% |
| 1974 | 7.2% | -13.2% |
| 1975 | 10.6% | +47.1% |
| 1976 | 9.4% | -11.8% |
| 1977 | 13.7% | +45.5% |
| 1978 | 9.9% | -27.7% |
| 1979 | 8.2% | -17.0% |
| 1980 | 7.0% | -14.9% |
| 1981 | 6.3% | -9.5% |
| 1982 | 11.3% | +79.4% |
| 1983 | 6.6% | -41.6% |
| 1984 | 7.1% | +6.7% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | -13.1% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | +40.8% |
| 1987 | 6.6% | -24.0% |
| 1988 | 6.2% | -5.8% |
| 1989 | 5.9% | -5.3% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | -33.4% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | -10.2% |
| 1992 | 3.1% | -12.1% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -20.5% |
| 1994 | 2.9% | +19.4% |
| 1995 | 4.1% | +39.2% |
| 1996 | 4.4% | +8.9% |
| 1997 | 4.0% | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 4.6% | +14.8% |
| 1999 | 3.4% | -27.1% |
| 2000 | 3.5% | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 3.6% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | +28.7% |
| 2003 | 5.5% | +17.6% |
| 2004 | 3.9% | -29.5% |
| 2005 | 3.5% | -10.2% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | -11.3% |
| 2007 | 5.1% | +64.7% |
| 2008 | 5.5% | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 5.9% | +8.1% |
| 2010 | 3.9% | -33.3% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 4.7% | +21.0% |
| 2013 | 5.1% | +8.4% |
| 2014 | 5.6% | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 6.2% | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 7.3% | +17.0% |
| 2017 | 6.3% | -13.4% |
| 2018 | 3.6% | -42.7% |
| 2019 | 3.7% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 4.6% | +22.0% |
| 2021 | 4.3% | -5.2% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 4.3% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 98% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 4.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 56% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 9.1% | 7.1% | 13.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.2% | 5.9% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.6% | 2.4% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.4% | 3.1% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 3.6% | 7.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.4% | 4.3% | 4.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More reference data data for Lesotho
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0331 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5388 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0101 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.582 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.1115 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0549 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Lesotho?
- Total natural resource rents in Lesotho was 4.3% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 13.7% in 1977.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1993.
- How does Lesotho rank for total natural resource rents?
- Lesotho ranks 81st out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.