Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 27.4% less likely to be obese
In Australia, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Australia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 25.2 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.0% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 94.2% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 39.1% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 3.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Australia, 13.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 98.3% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 239.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Lesotho, on the other hand, 56.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Australia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 57% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 46.1% less likely to have internet access
In Australia, approximately 96.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Australia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 78% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.8% more on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 21.2% more on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 45.0% less strain on fresh water
Australia withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 97.0% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.