Zambia (ZMB) and Lesotho (LSO) Trade | The Observatory of Economic Complexity

About

Zambia-Lesotho Trade: In 2023, Zambia exported $12.4M to Lesotho. The main products that Zambia exported to Lesotho were Raw Cotton ($10.7M), Insulated Wire ($463k), and Large Iron Containers ($201k). Over the past 5 years the exports of Zambia to Lesotho have decreased at an annualized rate of 5.09%, from $16.2M in 2018 to $12.4M in 2023.

In 2023, Zambia did not export any services to Lesotho.

Lesotho-Zambia Trade: In 2023, Lesotho exported $175k to Zambia. The main products that Lesotho exported to Zambia were Delivery Trucks ($62k), Non-Knit Women's Suits ($21.2k), and Large Construction Vehicles ($19.3k). Over the past 5 years the exports of Lesotho to Zambia have decreased at an annualized rate of 10%, from $297k in 2018 to $175k in 2023.

In 2023, Lesotho did not export any services to Zambia.

Comparison In 2023, Zambia ranked 94 in the Economic Complexity Index (ECI -0.65), and 85 in total exports ($15.9B). That same year, Lesotho ranked 158 in total exports ($1.14B), and does not have data regarding Economic Complexity Index.

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Depth

HS2

HS4

HS6

Value

Trade

Growth

Growth (%)

Year

In 2023, Zambia exported $12.4M to Lesotho. The main products exported from Zambia to Lesotho were Raw Cotton ($10.7M), Insulated Wire ($463k), and Large Iron Containers ($201k). During the last 5 years the exports of Zambia to Lesotho have decreased at an annualized rate of 5.16%, from $2.5B in 2018 to $12.4M in 2023.

In 2018, Lesotho exported $175k to Zambia. The main products exported from Lesotho to Zambia were Delivery Trucks ($62k), Non-Knit Women's Suits ($21.2k), and Large Construction Vehicles ($19.3k). During the last 5 years the exports of Lesotho to Zambia have decreased at an annualized rate of 1.91%, from $3.66B in 2023 to $175k in 2018.

Exports from Zambia () to Lesotho () (2023)

Exports from Lesotho () to Zambia () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Zambia () and Lesotho ()

Zambia Exports

Date

Lesotho Exports

Date

Market Competitiveness

Color

Exports

Export Growth

Section

Year

Zambia
Top DestinationSwitzerland$4.26B

Lesotho
Top DestinationSouth Africa$351M

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

In 2023, countries that imported more from Zambia than Lesotho included Switzerland ($4.26B), China ($2.39B), and India ($2.11B).

In 2023, countries that imported more from Lesotho than Zambia included Belgium ($295M), United States ($228M), and Eswatini ($7.34M).

Difference in imports from Lesotho () and Zambia () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Zambia - Lesotho

Flow

Section

HS2

HS4

Scale

Log

Linear

Year

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

During 2023, Zambia had a large net trade with Lesotho in the exports of Textiles ($11M), Machines ($910k), and Metals ($398k).

During 2018, Lesotho had a large net trade with Zambia in the exports of Textiles ($78k), Transportation ($65.3k), and Machines ($19.4k).

Potential Exports

Depth

Section

HS2

HS4

View

Top 20

Top 15

Top 10

Sort By

Highest Potential

Most Saturated

Section

Top Product Potential Zambia Lesotho+$1.95kElectricity

Top Product Potential Lesotho Zambia+$2.19kDiamonds

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 Zambia and Lesotho. This means that a dot/product with the flag of Zambia indicates it has a comparative advantage over Lesotho. Similarly, a dot/product with the flag of Lesotho indicates it has a comparative advantage over Zambia.

About

Historical Data

Bilateral Trade by Products

Exports from Zambia () to Lesotho () (2023)

Exports from Lesotho () to Zambia () (2023)

Latest Data

Trade between Zambia () and Lesotho ()

Zambia Exports

Lesotho Exports

Market Competitiveness

Difference in imports from Lesotho () and Zambia () (2023)

Comparative Advantage Zambia - Lesotho

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Economic Complexity

Competitive Landscape

Product Space of Zambia () and Lesotho () (2023)

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