With a long history of labour migration to South Africa and large amounts of remittances sent home, migration is an important livelihood and poverty reduction strategy in Lesotho. Indeed, migration presents both challenges and opportunities for human development. Yet, maximizing the positive contributions of migration requires evidence-based decision-making and policy development and improved data collection and analysis.

Carried out in close cooperation with several government institutions, this assessment shows that thirty-four datasets containing information on migration exist in Lesotho. However, the country’s largely paper-based systems hinder adequate collection, analysis, reporting and sharing of this data. Although many public institutions do collect data on migration, this data remains untapped – kept in computer files or filing cabinets of the relevant ministry or department. Policymakers, therefore, have limited access to the information and data they need for decision-making and planning on migration and development.

This assessment provides an overview of existing datasets on migration and how they could be used. The report identifies gaps and proposes steps that could be taken to enhance the country’s migration data management.