Economy · Tax revenue · Lesotho
Lesotho’s tax revenue fell to 35.4% of GDP in 2024.
35.4% of GDP
2024
Down 4.6 pp from 2023.
Updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
35.4% of GDP
What it is. Tax revenue adds up what the central government collects in taxes and divides the total by the size of the economy. Using a share of GDP lets years be compared as the economy grows or shrinks, and it shows how much of national income passes through the state's tax system. Grants, other non-tax income and taxes raised by local authorities fall outside the measure.
Higher is better. A higher share means the state funds more of its work from domestic taxation, which leaves more room to pay for public services and less need to borrow or rely on outside help. The latest figure is 35.4% of GDP for 2024, down from 40% of GDP a year earlier, a fall of 4.6 percentage points. Since 2015 the range runs from 29.3% of GDP in 2016 to 40% of GDP in 2023. The 2024 figure sits just above the middle of that range and well below the peak set a year earlier.
Why it matters. At 35.4% of GDP, the Lesotho government still collects a large share of national income in taxes, and that money pays for public wages and services. The fall of 4.6 percentage points from 2023 leaves the state with less to spend relative to the size of the economy, so it may have to trim spending or borrow more if the share stays lower. The next annual figure after 2024 will show whether the share returns towards 40% of GDP.
| Period | Tax revenue · Lesotho |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 33.8% of GDP |
| 2016 | 29.3% of GDP |
| 2017 | 33% of GDP |
| 2018 | 31.8% of GDP |
| 2019 | 32.5% of GDP |
| 2020 | 36% of GDP |
| 2021 | 31.9% of GDP |
| 2022 | 30.4% of GDP |
| 2023 | 40% of GDP |
| 2024 | 35.4% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Tax revenue, Lesotho, 2024; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/tax-revenue/lesotho
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Methodology
Central government tax revenue as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.