Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Benin, you would:
Health
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 39.5% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 24.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.2 years less
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
be 81.4% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 34.3% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 76.0% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 24.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 45.2 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.
have 28.9% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 52.4% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 12.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% 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 2.0 times more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 35.7% more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 12.2% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.