Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho
Lesotho: Employee compensation as share of government spending was 44.7% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho, 1987–2022
Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of expense.
Analysis
The most recent figure for employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho is 44.7%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and up 11.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho peaked at 53.8% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 29.8%, in 2008.
That places Lesotho 18th out of 155 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | % of expense | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 36.7% | — |
| 1988 | 42.9% | +17.1% |
| 1989 | 38.8% | -9.5% |
| 1991 | 48.6% | +25.1% |
| 1992 | 46.0% | -5.3% |
| 1993 | 48.2% | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 45.9% | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 53.8% | +17.2% |
| 1996 | 51.6% | -4.1% |
| 1997 | 48.5% | -5.9% |
| 1998 | 42.7% | -12.1% |
| 1999 | 40.8% | -4.3% |
| 2000 | 43.4% | +6.2% |
| 2001 | 39.4% | -9.1% |
| 2002 | 38.3% | -2.9% |
| 2003 | 37.0% | -3.2% |
| 2004 | 37.8% | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 36.1% | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 31.4% | -13.0% |
| 2007 | 33.7% | +7.4% |
| 2008 | 29.8% | -11.6% |
| 2009 | 35.0% | +17.2% |
| 2010 | 40.5% | +15.9% |
| 2011 | 40.2% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 40.1% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 40.8% | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 42.5% | +4.2% |
| 2015 | 42.8% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 41.8% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 44.5% | +6.5% |
| 2018 | 45.1% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 43.5% | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 41.2% | -5.2% |
| 2021 | 45.1% | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 44.7% | -1.0% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 44.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 31.8%, 1.4× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 44.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.9%, 1.2× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 39.5% | 36.7% | 42.9% | 3 |
| 1990s | 47.3% | 40.8% | 53.8% | 9 |
| 2000s | 36.2% | 29.8% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.2% | 40.1% | 45.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.7% | 41.2% | 45.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More work & labour data for Lesotho
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -0.1902 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -0.1964 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -0.1849 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.293 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.37 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 1,485 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,719 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,674 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,586 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 3,259 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho?
- Employee compensation as share of government spending in Lesotho was 44.7% in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 53.8% in 1995.
- What is the lowest employee compensation as share of government spending recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 29.8% in 2008.
- How does Lesotho rank for employee compensation as share of government spending?
- Lesotho ranks 18th out of 155 countries with data for 2022.
- Is employee compensation as share of government spending rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (IMF) Government Finance Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employee compensation as share of government spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employee compensation includes wages, in-kind payments, and government contributions to social insurance schemes such as social security and pensions.