In 2022, Lesotho consumed about **400 kWh of electricity per person**, only around one-tenth of the global average of 3,794 kWh per person. Domestic low-carbon electricity generation amounted to about **210 kWh per person**, with the supplied historical data identifying hydropower as the clean electricity source. However, the figures do not specify the sources of imported electricity, so they cannot establish the full split between low-carbon and fossil electricity consumed. Such low electricity availability can constrain businesses, healthcare, education and household services, while limiting opportunities to replace fossil fuels with clean electricity.

Is Electricity Growing in Lesotho?

Lesotho’s electricity consumption has not sustained its earlier peak. Consumption in 2022 was **48 kWh per person below** the 2010 record of 446 kWh—an approximately **11% decline**. Low-carbon generation fell even further: its latest level of 210 kWh per person was 136 kWh below the 2010 record of 346 kWh, a decline of almost **40%**. These comparisons do not establish a continuous annual decline, but they show a concerning failure to regain previous levels, particularly for clean electricity. Reversing this shortfall would support economic development and growing demand from electrification and digital services.

Suggestions

To increase low-carbon electricity generation, Lesotho should prioritize solar deployment alongside improvements to its existing hydropower system, transmission network and electricity access. Neighboring **South Africa** provides a particularly relevant regional reference: the supplied comparison records about **20 TWh of solar**, **12 TWh of wind** and **12 TWh of nuclear** generation. Lesotho could learn from its solar development experience and investigate wind projects where resource measurements support them. Nuclear should also be considered in long-term planning, including regional partnerships and access to nuclear-generated electricity through interconnected grids. France, with about **376 TWh of nuclear generation**, illustrates nuclear’s potential to provide substantial clean electricity. These examples offer lessons about technologies and deployment rather than generation targets to copy directly.

History

Lesotho’s supplied low-carbon electricity history consists entirely of changes in hydropower generation. During the 2000s, recorded increases were **0.1 TWh in 2000**, **0.2 TWh in 2005**, and **0.1 TWh each in 2006 and 2009**, interspersed with several years of no change. Progress then weakened: generation fell by **0.2 TWh in 2011**, while the listed years from 2013 through 2018 showed no change. A further **0.1 TWh decline in 2019** was followed by no change in 2020, a **0.1 TWh recovery in 2021**, and an equally large decline in 2022. This pattern of early expansion followed by stagnation and setbacks underscores the need for renewed clean electricity investment, especially in solar and complementary low-carbon supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade