Lesotho (LSO) and South Africa (ZAF) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

About

Lesotho-South Africa Trade: In 2023, Lesotho exported $351M to South Africa. The main products that Lesotho exported to South Africa were Wool ($38.3M), Non-Knit Women's Suits ($37M), and Non-Knit Men's Suits ($35M). Over the past 5 years the exports of Lesotho to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.21%, from $300M in 2018 to $351M in 2023.

In 2023, Lesotho did not export any services to South Africa.

South Africa-Lesotho Trade: In 2023, South Africa exported $1.34B to Lesotho. The main products that South Africa exported to Lesotho were Refined Petroleum ($197M), Cereal Flours ($40.1M), and Delivery Trucks ($37.6M). Over the past 5 years the exports of South Africa to Lesotho have increased at an annualized rate of 2.47%, from $1.15B in 2018 to $1.34B in 2023.

In 2023, South Africa did not export any services to Lesotho.

Comparison In 2023, Lesotho ranked 158 in total exports ($1.14B), and does not have data regarding Economic Complexity Index. That same year, South Africa ranked 59 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI 0.07), and 34 in total exports ($154B).

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Lesotho exported $351M to South Africa. The main products exported from Lesotho to South Africa were Wool ($38.3M), Non-Knit Women's Suits ($37M), and Non-Knit Men's Suits ($35M). During the last 5 years the exports of Lesotho to South Africa have increased at an annualized rate of 3.21%, from $300M in 2018 to $351M in 2023.

In 2018, South Africa exported $1.34B to Lesotho. The main products exported from South Africa to Lesotho were Refined Petroleum ($197M), Cereal Flours ($40.1M), and Delivery Trucks ($37.6M). During the last 5 years the exports of South Africa to Lesotho have increased at an annualized rate of 2.47%, from $1.15B in 2023 to $1.34B in 2018.

Exports from Lesotho () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Lesotho () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Lesotho () and South Africa ()

Lesotho Exports

Date

South Africa Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Lesotho
Top DestinationSouth Africa$351M

South Africa
Top DestinationChina$29.5B

This map shows whether countries import more from Lesotho or South Africa. Each country is colored based on the difference in imports they receive from Lesotho and South Africa or the difference in the growth in imports.

In 2023, no countries were registered that imported more from Lesotho than from South Africa.

In 2023, countries that imported more from South Africa than Lesotho included China ($29.5B), United States ($13B), and Germany ($10.8B).

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Lesotho () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Lesotho - South Africa

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

This chart compares trade between Lesotho and South Africa by product, considering products traded by both, Lesotho and South Africa.

During 2023, Lesotho had a large net trade with South Africa in the exports of Textiles ($239M), Machines ($41.6M), and Vegetable Products ($20.6M).

During 2018, South Africa had a large net trade with Lesotho in the exports of Mineral Products ($280M), Machines ($151M), and Vegetable Products ($151M).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Lesotho South Africa+$5.44MKnit Women's Suits

Top Product Potential South Africa Lesotho+$1.98MCars

We estimate the export potential of an economy for each product and destination using an extension of the bilateral relatedness model of Jun et al. (2019).This extended gravity model considers similarities among products and geographies and explains more than 50% of the variance in future trade flows.

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Year

This visualization shows the product space at the HS4 level with the flags of Lesotho and South Africa. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Lesotho indicates it has a comparative advantage over South Africa. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of South Africa indicates it has a comparative advantage over Lesotho.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Lesotho () to South Africa () (2023)

Exports from South Africa () to Lesotho () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Lesotho () and South Africa ()

Lesotho Exports

South Africa Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from South Africa () and Lesotho () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Lesotho - South Africa

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Lesotho () and South Africa () (2023)

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