Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
see 72.2% more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 58.8% more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 32.5% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 34.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burkina Faso, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 3.5 years less
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 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 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 97.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 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 24.2% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 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 2.6 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% 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 83.4% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 56.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% 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 24.2% more on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 61.7% more on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.1% less strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 55.3% less home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
be 19.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.3% more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.