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 1.3.
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.
Figures are collected automatically on a fixed schedule. A program reads each source file or page, stores a copy of it, and records where every figure came from. Official figures are published once they pass consistency checks. Observed figures, such as tariffs and follower counts, are always checked by an editor before they appear.
| Monitor | Source | Checked | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel prices | Petroleum Fund monthly report | Daily in the first week of the month, the 15th, and every Monday | Automatically, when the report and the Fund's homepage agree |
| Consumer prices | Bureau of Statistics CPI report | Daily from the 18th to the 28th | Automatically, when the table and the report summary agree |
| Cost of debt | Central Bank of Lesotho Monthly Economic Review | Daily from the 5th to the 20th, and every Monday | Automatically, when the table lines up with earlier issues |
| Mobile data cost | Vodacom and Econet tariff pages | The 1st of each month | After editor approval |
| Newspaper and radio rankings | Public Facebook page counts | Every Sunday | Quarterly, after editor approval |
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.
How we use AI
Data Matrix uses frontier AI models together with human experts. The models help us find and read source documents, check figures against each other, flag anomalies, analyse data and draft text and charts. People decide what is published.
- Every figure is checked. Official figures are published only when they pass automatic consistency checks against their source. Observed figures, such as tariffs and follower counts, are approved by an editor.
- Every text is reviewed. Analysis drafted with AI tools is read and corrected by a Data Matrix analyst before it is published.
- We say when AI was used. Each research page carries a note at the foot of the page where frontier AI tools contributed to the data collection, the charts or the text.
- AI does not invent data. We do not use AI to fill gaps, estimate missing months or create figures. Where no figure exists, the page says Not available.
Ownership and independence
Data Matrix is part of the Bohlokoa Enterprises group. Lesotho Tribune, one of the newspapers in our newspaper rankings, is also owned by Bohlokoa Enterprises. We disclose this on the rankings page. Lesotho Tribune is counted with the same method, on the same dates, as every other title, and its figures are not treated differently.
Data availability and the archive
Data Matrix first published its research on 13 October 2023. Every monitor is shown from October 2023. The full datasets for October 2023 to September 2026, for every monitor, are held in our archive and are available to buy. Charts mark that period with a blue band that opens the purchase request.
Where a figure was never published or cannot be verified, the page shows Not available. We do not back-cast or model missing months. Where a line on a chart crosses a gap between counts, it is drawn dashed.
Access to data
The charts, tables and analysis on our research pages are free to read, and charts may be reused with credit to Data Matrix. The full datasets behind each monitor, with every period, source link and label, are sold. To buy a dataset, email research [at] datamatrix [dot] co [dot] ls with the dataset, the period you need and how you plan to use it.
Media companies that want their website audience (Google Analytics) featured alongside their social following can send it separately to marketsolutions [at] datamatrix [dot] co [dot] ls. We check every submission before publishing it and label it Reported. Website audience data held by Data Matrix is available to buy.
Limitations
Our data has real limits, and naming them is part of using it well.
- Social media counts change constantly, and Facebook shows large counts rounded, so follower figures are approximate.
- 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 research [at] datamatrix [dot] co [dot] 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 1.3, 13 October 2026. Recorded that Data Matrix research has been published since 13 October 2023, the archive of October 2023 to September 2026 counts available to buy, and the Google Analytics submissions route.
- Version 1.2, 13 October 2026. Added how we use AI alongside human experts, the ownership disclosure for Lesotho Tribune, the January 2024 data availability rule and access to datasets.
- Version 1.1, 13 October 2026. Collection automated on the schedule above. Added the consumer price, cost of debt and mobile data cost monitors. Follower counts are now read weekly from Facebook's public page widget.
- 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 [at] datamatrix [dot] co [dot] ls. Data Matrix is based in Maseru, Lesotho.