Research Methodology and Standards
This page explains how Data Matrix compiles the data it publishes about Lesotho. It sets out where our figures come from, how each one is labelled by source, how often we update, what our data cannot tell you, and how we correct mistakes. Every research page on this site follows these standards and links back here.
Last updated . Version 1.0.
Principles
Four principles guide everything we publish.
- Traceable. Every figure can be traced to a source, and the source is named or described.
- Labelled. Every figure is marked by how we obtained it, so you can weigh it accordingly.
- Consistent. We use the same method each period, so trends stay comparable over time.
- Corrected in the open. When we get something wrong, we fix it and say so.
How figures are labelled
Every number in our tables carries one of four labels. The label tells you how the figure was obtained, which matters as much as the figure itself.
Sources
We separate two kinds of source and lean on the first wherever possible.
Primary sources
Data we gather ourselves: prices recorded at the point of sale, counts read directly from public pages, and figures supplied to us by the organisations we measure. Interviews and direct requests to newsrooms and stations fall here too.
Secondary sources
Data published by others, such as official statistics agencies, regulators, central banks and established industry lists. We name these where we rely on them and, where more than one exists, we cross-check them against each other rather than trusting a single figure.
Collection and updates
Each research page states its own update cadence, usually monthly or quarterly, and carries the date it was last updated. We keep the same definitions and method from one period to the next so the series stays comparable. When a figure changes, the page’s release history records what moved.
Estimates and self-reported figures
Where a subject reports its own numbers, we label them Reported and treat them with caution, because organisations have an interest in their own figures. Where we must estimate, we label the figure Estimated and say so plainly. We never present an estimate or a self-reported figure as if it were an independently observed one.
Limitations
Our data has real limits, and naming them is part of using it well.
- Social media counts change constantly and cannot always be pulled live from a platform without direct access.
- Some pages combine more than one channel or brand, which can lift a total above a like-for-like comparison. We note this where it applies.
- Official releases for Lesotho are sometimes delayed or revised, so a recent figure may change in a later update.
- Where organisations share related operations, their audiences may overlap in ways a single figure cannot separate.
Corrections policy
We aim to be accurate, and we correct errors promptly. If you believe a figure is wrong, email corrections@datamatrix.co.ls with the page and the figure in question.
When we confirm an error, we correct the page, update its last-updated date, and record any material correction in that page’s release history. Small fixes such as spelling are made without a note. Corrections that change a figure or a ranking are always logged.
Changes to this methodology
- Version 1.0, 19 August 2026. First published. Four data labels defined, source hierarchy and corrections policy set out.
Contact
Questions about our data or method can go to research@datamatrix.co.ls. Data Matrix is based in Maseru, Lesotho.