Business & Markets · Lending interest rate · Lesotho
Lesotho’s lending interest rate rose to 11.2% in 2024.
11.2%
2024
Up 0.13 pp from 2023.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
11.2%
What it is. The lending interest rate is the rate banks charge the private sector for short and medium term financing. It is a single headline rate for the banking system, so individual loans can be priced above or below it depending on the borrower, the loan size and the fees attached. It gives a good sense of the going cost of credit for firms and households.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher rate rewards lenders and savers, and a lower rate eases the cost for borrowers, so the direction suits different groups differently. The latest figure is 11.2% in January 2024, up by 0.13 percentage points from 11.1% a year earlier. Since 2015 the rate has ranged from a low of 8.2% in January 2021 to a high of 11.6% in January 2017. The current level sits close to the top of that range.
Why it matters. A business in Lesotho that borrows for stock or equipment faces interest of about 11.2% a year on the headline rate. A household taking a loan faces a similar level of cost. Borrowing was cheaper in January 2021, when the rate stood at 8.2%.
| Period | Lending interest rate · Lesotho |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 10.6% |
| 2016 | 11.6% |
| 2017 | 11.6% |
| 2018 | 11.4% |
| 2019 | 11.3% |
| 2020 | 9% |
| 2021 | 8.2% |
| 2022 | 9% |
| 2023 | 11.1% |
| 2024 | 11.2% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Lending interest rate, Lesotho, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/business/lending-rate/lesotho
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
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Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Bank rate that usually meets the short- and medium-term financing needs of the private sector. Unit: %.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series FR.INR.LEND), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.