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Country comparison

South Africa vs Lesotho

South Africa and Lesotho side by side across 71 indicators — each row links to the full 54-country ranking, with sources and the API call behind every figure.

GDP$401.14B vs $2.27BSouth Africa vs Lesotho
GDP per Capita$6,267 vs $972South Africa vs Lesotho
Population64.01M vs 2.34MSouth Africa vs Lesotho

Indicator by indicator

71 indicators
Indicator South Africa LesothoPeriod
GDPEconomy$401.14B$2.27B2024
GDP per CapitaEconomy$6,267$9722024
Inflation RateEconomy4%2.2%2026-05
Central Bank Policy RateEconomy7%—2026-05-01
Official Exchange RateEconomy16.55 LCU/USD16.55 LCU/USD2026-05
Budget BalanceEconomy-4.9%4.2%2026
Unemployment RateEconomy32.4%16.3%2025
Public DebtEconomy78.9%49%2026
Trade BalanceEconomy$7.77B$-1.18B2024
GDP GrowthEconomy0.5%2.9%2024
GNI per CapitaEconomy$6,110$1,1802024
GNI per Capita (PPP)Economy$15,150$3,5802024
GDP (PPP)Economy$989.31B$7.01B2024
Agriculture (% of GDP)Economy2.8%6.5%2024
Industry (% of GDP)Economy24.3%30.9%2024
Manufacturing (% of GDP)Economy12.8%13.5%2024
Services (% of GDP)Economy63%48%2024
Investment (% of GDP)Economy14.1%27.2%2024
Remittances ReceivedEconomy$855.37M$475.82M2024
Remittances (% of GDP)Economy0.2%20.9%2024
External Debt (% of GNI)Economy44.8%65.4%2024
Foreign ReservesEconomy$65.43B$1.01B2024
Credit to Private Sector (% of GDP)Economy89.4%25.6%2024
Tax Revenue (% of GDP)Economy25.4%37.3%2023
Labor Force ParticipationEconomy55.6%57.1%2025
Female Labor Force ParticipationEconomy49.9%48.1%2025
Income Inequality (Gini)Economy54.144.92022
Extreme Poverty RateEconomy17.4%41.9%2022
Account OwnershipEconomy81.1%61.6%2024
Youth NEET RateEconomy34.6%38%2024
Military Spending (% of GDP)Economy0.7%1.6%2024
Trade Openness (% of GDP)Economy61.6%141.5%2024
Inflation (GDP Deflator)Economy3.9%3.6%2024
Tourism ReceiptsEconomy$2.72B$23.1M2020
Tourist ArrivalsEconomy3.89M1.14M2020
Human Development IndexDevelopment0.7410.552023
Gender Inequality IndexDevelopment0.3880.5342023
Inequality-adjusted HDIDevelopment0.4760.3572023
PopulationDemographics64.01M2.34M2024
Population GrowthDemographics1.2%1.1%2024
Life ExpectancyDemographics66.3 years57.8 years2024
Median AgeDemographics28.9 years22.1 years2026
Fertility RateDemographics2.212.662024
Rural PopulationDemographics36.3%56.3%2024
Population Under 15Demographics25.9%34.5%2024
Infant MortalityHealth24.256.32024
HIV PrevalenceHealth17.2%17.1%2024
Health Spending (% of GDP)Health8.9%12.6%2023
Physicians per 1,000Health0.790.242022
UHC Service Coverage IndexHealth74552023
Road Traffic DeathsHealth24.521.62021
Premature NCD MortalityHealth22.7%36.3%2021
Out-of-Pocket Health SpendingHealth6.7%13.2%2023
Safely Managed SanitationHealth73.8%43.8%2024
Education Spending (% of GDP)Education6%6.6%2024
Tertiary EnrollmentEducation23.5%9.9%2023
UndernourishmentFood Security10%—2023
Agricultural Land (% of Land)Agriculture79.4%77.8%2023
Food Production IndexAgriculture113.298.72022
Sorghum ProductionAgriculture98K t6.26K t2024
Millet ProductionAgriculture6.33K t—2024
Homicide RateGovernance43.738.22022
Corruption Perceptions IndexGovernance41372024
Electoral Democracy IndexGovernance0.7430.6612025
Liberal Democracy IndexGovernance0.6330.5122025
Political Corruption IndexGovernance0.5380.4722025
Women in ParliamentGovernance44.7%25%2025
Internet UsersTechnology78.4%51.8%2024
Mobile SubscriptionsTechnology179.370.32024
Electricity AccessInfrastructure87.7%57.3%2023
CO2 Emissions per CapitaClimate6.88 t0.43 t2024

Get this comparison via API

GET /v1/data

One call returns both countries' latest value for any indicator — JSON, with source metadata.

curl "https://api.africa-api.com/v1/data?metric_key=gdp_current_usd&latest=true&country_codes=ZA,LS" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AFRICA_API_KEY"
South Africa profileLesotho profileGet a free API key

Frequently asked questions

Does South Africa or Lesotho have the larger economy?

South Africa has the larger economy: $401.14B for South Africa versus $2.27B for Lesotho (GDP, current US$).

How do South Africa and Lesotho compare across indicators?

This page compares South Africa and Lesotho on 71 indicators — economy, demographics, health, governance and more — each with its latest value, source, and a link to the full 54-country ranking.

How do I get this comparison via the API?

Call GET /v1/data?metric_key=<key>&latest=true&country_codes=ZA,LS with a free Africa API key to get both countries' latest values as JSON.

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