Business Investment Financing Statistics in Lesotho (2026)
According to World Bank World Development Indicators data, 20.4% of firms in Lesotho used banks to finance investment in 2023. Down from 51.8% in 2016 to 20.4% in 2023 (−31.4 percentage points). Lesotho ranks #21 of 44 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa on this measure, and #94 of 144 globally.
Key Statistics
- Latest value (2023)
- 20.4% (2023)
- Business Investment Financing in Lesotho as of 2023, the most recent observation in World Bank World Development Indicators data.
- Change since 2016
- −31.4 pp (2023)
- Down from 51.8% in 2016 to 20.4% in 2023 (−31.4 percentage points).
- Earliest value in this dataset (2009)
- 32.7% (2009)
- Earliest observation in this dataset, which covers 1990 onward (the source series may begin earlier). Down from 32.7% in 2009 to 20.4% in 2023.
- Peak value (2016)
- 51.8% (2016)
- Highest value in the available series; the 2023 value is 20.4%.
- Rank in Sub-Saharan Africa
- #21 of 44 (2023)
- Lesotho ranks 21 of 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with data, based on each country's latest value.
- Global rank
- #94 of 144 (2023)
- Lesotho ranks 94 of 144 countries with data globally.
- Sub-Saharan Africa average
- 22.2% (2023)
- Lesotho (20.4%) is below the average of 22.2% across the 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with data.
- Firms with a bank loan/line of credit (% of firms) (2023)
- 23.3% (2023)
- Related indicator from World Bank World Development Indicators.
- Internet use in Lesotho (2024)
- 51.8% (2024)
- 51.8% of the population in Lesotho used the internet in 2024 (World Bank); shown for context only.
- Population (2024)
- 2.3 million (2024)
- Lesotho had a population of 2.3 million in 2024 (World Bank); shown for scale only.
Trend, 2009–2023
| Year | % of firms | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 20.4% | −31.4 pp |
| 2016 | 51.8% | +19.2 pp |
| 2009 | 32.7% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What share of firms in Lesotho used banks to finance investment?
20.4% of firms in Lesotho used banks to finance investment in 2023, according to World Bank World Development Indicators data.
Where does the business investment financing data for Lesotho come from?
The data comes from the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator IC.FRM.BNKS.ZS). The latest observation for Lesotho is from 2023; the snapshot was retrieved on 2026-06-10.
How has business investment financing in Lesotho changed over time?
World Bank World Development Indicators data show a decline from 32.7% in 2009 to 20.4% in 2023.
Source & methodology
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator
IC.FRM.BNKS.ZS, retrieved .
Figures are shown exactly as published in the source dataset; only the change column of the trend table is computed from adjacent published values.Read more on the methodology page. All figures are estimates and projections; this is not financial advice.
Last updated .