Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? was 360,000 tonnes in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
360,000 tonnes
Change on year
up 20.8%
World rank
138th
of 192 countries
All-time high
467,000 tonnes
in 2008
All-time low
21,000 tonnes
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho stood at 360,000 tonnes.
The figure is up 20.8% on the previous year and up 15.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho peaked at 467,000 tonnes in 2008 and was at its lowest, 21,000 tonnes, in 1961.
Lesotho ranks 138th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 21,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 23,000 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1963 | 48,000 tonnes | +108.7% |
| 1964 | 44,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1965 | 63,000 tonnes | +43.2% |
| 1966 | 82,000 tonnes | +30.2% |
| 1967 | 43,000 tonnes | -47.6% |
| 1968 | 63,000 tonnes | +46.5% |
| 1969 | 86,000 tonnes | +36.5% |
| 1970 | 79,000 tonnes | -8.1% |
| 1971 | 81,000 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 78,000 tonnes | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 100,000 tonnes | +28.2% |
| 1974 | 95,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1975 | 83,000 tonnes | -12.6% |
| 1976 | 119,000 tonnes | +43.4% |
| 1977 | 148,000 tonnes | +24.4% |
| 1978 | 173,000 tonnes | +16.9% |
| 1979 | 174,000 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 166,000 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 157,000 tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 184,000 tonnes | +17.2% |
| 1983 | 253,000 tonnes | +37.5% |
| 1984 | 234,000 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 1985 | 123,000 tonnes | -47.4% |
| 1986 | 207,000 tonnes | +68.3% |
| 1987 | 161,000 tonnes | -22.2% |
| 1988 | 235,000 tonnes | +46.0% |
| 1989 | 193,000 tonnes | -17.9% |
| 1990 | 223,000 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 1991 | 336,000 tonnes | +50.7% |
| 1992 | 373,000 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1993 | 373,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 366,000 tonnes | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 308,000 tonnes | -15.8% |
| 1996 | 412,000 tonnes | +33.8% |
| 1997 | 308,000 tonnes | -25.2% |
| 1998 | 350,000 tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1999 | 262,000 tonnes | -25.1% |
| 2000 | 219,000 tonnes | -16.4% |
| 2001 | 209,000 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2002 | 302,000 tonnes | +44.5% |
| 2003 | 273,000 tonnes | -9.6% |
| 2004 | 230,000 tonnes | -15.8% |
| 2005 | 190,000 tonnes | -17.4% |
| 2006 | 246,000 tonnes | +29.5% |
| 2007 | 293,000 tonnes | +19.1% |
| 2008 | 467,000 tonnes | +59.4% |
| 2009 | 467,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 377,000 tonnes | -19.3% |
| 2011 | 416,000 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2012 | 441,000 tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2013 | 312,000 tonnes | -29.3% |
| 2014 | 371,000 tonnes | +18.9% |
| 2015 | 319,000 tonnes | -14.0% |
| 2016 | 383,000 tonnes | +20.1% |
| 2017 | 453,000 tonnes | +18.3% |
| 2018 | 262,000 tonnes | -42.2% |
| 2019 | 260,000 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 329,000 tonnes | +26.5% |
| 2021 | 261,000 tonnes | -20.7% |
| 2022 | 298,000 tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2023 | 360,000 tonnes | +20.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 360,000 tonnes is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 1.19 million tonnes, 30% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 360,000 tonnes is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.01 million tonnes, 36% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 52,556 tonnes | 21,000 tonnes | 86,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 113,000 tonnes | 78,000 tonnes | 174,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 191,300 tonnes | 123,000 tonnes | 253,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 331,100 tonnes | 223,000 tonnes | 412,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 289,600 tonnes | 190,000 tonnes | 467,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 359,400 tonnes | 260,000 tonnes | 453,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 312,000 tonnes | 261,000 tonnes | 360,000 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho?
- Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? in Lesotho was 360,000 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 467,000 tonnes in 2008.
- What is the lowest cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,000 tonnes in 1961.
- How does Lesotho rank for cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters??
- Lesotho ranks 138th out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters? rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereals: which countries are net importers and exporters?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Imports and exports are measured as the net sum of all cereal crop varieties. Countries which lie above the grey line are net importers of cereals; those below the line are net exporters.