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The twenty imports Lesotho is best placed to replace.

Lesotho imported USD 1.3bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 626m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well and where one country supplies most of them.

USD 151mthe twenty, imported in 2024
10products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
256products Lesotho already exports well
20product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Lesotho already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Lesotho would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Lesotho does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Cement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially colouredHS 252329

    Comes fromSouth Africa 99%, 2 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSandstone:. whether or not roughly trimmed, cut, by sawing etc, into... (exports USD 1m)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well54

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 17m, top 40 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 5 per cent (3); South Africa supplies 99 per cent (2).

    USD 17mup 50% on 2022
  2. 2

    Cotton: not carded or combedHS 520100

    Comes fromZambia 37%, 11 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFabrics, woven: containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, of yarns... (exports USD 12m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 16k
    Countries that export it well32

    Score 5 of 8: import bill USD 26m, top 20 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 10 per cent (3).

    USD 26mup 241% on 2022
  3. 3

    Waters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavouredHS 220210

    Comes fromSouth Africa 100%, 3 source countries
    Nearest export strengthWaters: mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not... (exports USD 81m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 1k
    Countries that export it well60

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 16m, top 45 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 30 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 16mup 35% on 2022
  4. 4

    Clothing: parts of garments or of clothing accessories, other than those of heading no. 6212 (not knitted or crocheted)HS 621790

    Comes fromSouth Africa 70%, 10 source countries
    Nearest export strengthTrousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches and shorts: men's or... (exports USD 53m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 29k
    Countries that export it well23

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 90 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 15 per cent (2); South Africa supplies 70 per cent (2).

    USD 12mdown 4% on 2022
  5. 5

    Sugars: cane sugar, raw, in solid form, as specified in Subheading Note 2 to this chapter, not containing added...HS 170113

    Comes fromSouth Africa 100%, 1 source country
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well14

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 95 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 25 per cent (2); South Africa supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 12mup 40% on 2022
  6. 6

    Fabrics: knitted or crocheted, other than those of heading 60.01, of a width exceeding 30 cm, containing by weight 5%...HS 600490

    Comes fromChina 42%, 4 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFabrics: knitted or crocheted fabrics, other than those of heading... (exports USD 161k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well13

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 18m, top 35 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 35 per cent (1); China supplies 42 per cent (1).

    USD 18mfrom USD 15k in 2022
  7. 7

    Beverages, fermented: (e.g. cider, perry, mead, sake)HS 220600

    Comes fromSouth Africa 100%, 1 source country
    Nearest export strengthWaters: mineral and aerated, including natural or artificial, (not... (exports USD 81m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 47k
    Countries that export it well29

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 14m, top 55 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 45 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 14mup 9% on 2022
  8. 8

    Fabrics: knitted or crocheted fabrics, other than those of headings 60.01 to 60.04,and other than those made of wool...HS 600690

    Comes fromChina 50%, 8 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFabrics: knitted or crocheted fabrics, other than those of heading... (exports USD 161k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well17

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 65 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 20 per cent (2); China supplies 50 per cent (1).

    USD 13mfrom USD 35k in 2022
  9. 9

    Washing and cleaning preparations: surface-active, whether or not containing soap (excluding those of heading no....HS 340290

    Comes fromSouth Africa 99%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthCandles, tapers and the like (exports USD 860k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 6k
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 75 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 50 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 99 per cent (2).

    USD 12mup 151% on 2022
  10. 10

    Meat preparations: sausages and similar products, of meat, meat offal, blood or insects, and food preparations based...HS 160100

    Comes fromSouth Africa 100%, 1 source country
    Nearest export strengthWood: pallets, box pallets and other load boards: pallet collars
    Exports of this lineUSD 3k
    Countries that export it well37

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 12m, top 80 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Lesotho's export strengths in the top 40 per cent (1); South Africa supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 12mup 13% on 2022

One line per customs heading. Products Lesotho already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

No line where the country already exports well and still imports more than it sells abroad.

How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 20 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-02. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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