Governance at a glance
- Government
- Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Independent
- Yes
- CPI score (2026)
- 37/100
- Press freedom (2025)
- 52.1/100 #107
- Electoral democracy (2025)
- 0.661
- HDI
- 0.550
- Regional blocs
- AU
Government and leaders
- Government type
- Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| King of Lesotho | Letsie III of Lesotho |
| Prime Minister of Lesotho | Sam Matekane |
Safety and security
- Homicide rate (2008)
- 38.2/100k
- Traffic deaths (2019)
- 31.9/100k
- Military spending (2024)
- 1.6% of GDP
Corruption perceptions index
- CPI score (2026)
- 37 / 100
- Interpretation
- Significant corruption
Democracy index
- Electoral (2025)
- 0.661
- Liberal
- 0.512
- Participatory
- 0.404
- Deliberative
- 0.482
- Egalitarian
- 0.490
Press freedom index
- Overall score (2025)
- 52.1 / 100
- Global rank
- #107 / 180
- Rank change
- +15 vs previous year
- RSF zone
- Afrique
- Political #109
- 40.6
- Economic #137
- 33.1
- Legal #135
- 44.2
- Social #103
- 56.6
- Safety #64
- 85.9
Press freedom historical data
| Year | Score | Rank | Political | Economic | Legal | Social | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52.1 | 107 | 40.6 | 33.1 | 44.2 | 56.6 | 85.9 |
| 2024 | 48.9 | 122 | 45.5 | 36.7 | 45.4 | 56.9 | 60.2 |
| 2023 | 64.3 | 67 | 64.4 | 44.9 | 56.0 | 68.5 | 87.8 |
| 2022 | 59.4 | 88 | 57.4 | 40.1 | 57.3 | 74.0 | 68.1 |
| 2021 | 68.4 | 88 | - | - | - | - | 89.0 |
| 2020 | 69.6 | 86 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2019 | 70.3 | 78 | - | - | - | - | 53.2 |
| 2018 | 71.2 | 68 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2017 | 71.2 | 68 | - | - | - | - | 89.0 |
| 2016 | 71.2 | 73 | - | - | - | - | 72.3 |
| 2015 | 71.6 | 77 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2014 | 71.6 | 74 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | 71.6 | 81 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2012 | 21.0 | 63 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | 24.0 | 90 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | 27.5 | 99 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | 29.5 | 116 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | 29.5 | 99 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | 16.0 | 72 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2005 | 19.5 | 81 | - | - | - | - | - |