Military profile
Lesotho Military Strength
Lesotho is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $40 million on its military in 2025 (1.6% of GDP).
Lesotho armed forces in numbers
Finance
- Military spending
- $40 million#145 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 1.6%#81 of 156
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Lesotho military spending 2010–2025
Military spending of Lesotho fell by 44% between 2010 and 2025, from $71 million to $40 million (current US dollars), and stood at 1.6% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Lesotho
Branches and forces
Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) (2025)
Personnel
approximately 2,000 active Defense Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
20-30 years of age for voluntary military service for both men and women (2026)
Equipment and suppliers
the LDF is lightly armed and has a small inventory of mostly older or secondhand equipment of European, South African, and US origin (2025)
Good to know
the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) is responsible for the maintenance of the country's sovereignty and the preservation of internal security; in practice, external security is guaranteed by South Africa; the LDF is a small force that began in 1964 as the Police Mobile Unit (PMU); the PMU was designated as the Lesotho Paramilitary Force in 1980 and became the Royal Lesotho Defense Force in 1986; it was renamed the Lesotho Defense Force in 1993 (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 1.5% · 2023: 1.6% · 2022: 1.6% · 2021: 1.5% · 2020: 1.6%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Lesotho compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Lesotho | — | $40 million |
 South Africa | #33 | $3.2 billion |