Lesotho

Lesotho, eligible for the MCA each year since its inception in 2004, was again selected as eligible in the 2007 and 2008 selection rounds.

 

MCA Status

On July 23, Lesotho signed a compact worth $363 million.  The compact provides funding for urban and rural water system upgrades and expansion, a health sector project, and private sector development. 

Read MCC's fact sheet (pdf) on Lesotho's compact

 

 

Country Eligibility

In the FY 2008 selection process, Lesotho scored above the median on all six "ruling justly" indicators, four of five "investing in people" indicators, and four of six "economic freedom" indicators.

Lesotho’s performance (pdf) on the FY 2008 selection indicators

Review Lesotho’s performance (pdf) on the FY 2007 selection indicators

Review Lesotho's performance (pdf) on the FY 2006 selection indicators

Learn more about the MCC's country selection process

 

 

Country Facts

Data are for 2006 (or most recent year available)

 

Per capita income (GNI, current US$)	$1,030
Poverty rate	N/A
Average economic growth, 1996-2005	2.9%
Population	1,788,978
Percent population rural	81%
Life expectancy	35 yrs
Literacy Rate	82%

Source: World Development Indicators 2007

Lesotho at a Glance from the World Bank (PDF)

 

Other U.S. Policies

Development Assistance USAID does not have a mission in Lesotho. However, USAID's Regional Center for Southern Africa (RCSA) and Regional Economic Development Services Office for East and Southern Africa (REDSO/ESA) support programs that benefit Lesotho.

Review the USAID strategy in RCSA and REDSO/ESO strategy

Trade In 2004 the U.S. imported $467 million in goods from Lesotho; 95% of the total was apparel which was granted market access under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

See a spreadsheet of U.S. imports from Lesotho

Read a country report from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

 

 

Other Donors

The top three donors to Lesotho in 2005 were:

Donor	ODA/OA* Disbursement 2005 (net $ US millions)
Ireland	13.45
World Bank IDA	8.34
United Kingdom	7.63

Source: Development Assistance Committee Database
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
*ODA/OA is Official Development Assistance and Overseas Aid
www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline

 

World Bank Involvement

The World Bank has eight active projects in Lesotho worth $120 million. All loans and credits as of January 2005 total over $500 million. The current projects target agriculture, water management, education and health services, trade and finance, and the justice system.

World Bank projects in Lesotho

Lesotho's PRSP

 

 

Other Resources

MCC Lesotho web page

Compendium of food and agriculture indicators from the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - (PDF)

Department of State country profile providing background on Lesotho's history and U.S.-Lesotho relations.