Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Cabo Verde, you would:
Health
be 19.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cabo Verde, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 18.4 years less
In Cabo Verde, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 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 32.8% more likely to be obese
In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 37.5% less spent on your healthcare
Cabo Verde spends $617 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 67.8% fewer doctors per person
Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 25.4% less access to essential health services
Cabo Verde scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 92.3% more likely to die by suicide
Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 36.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 81.2% less money
Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 94.4% more children
In Cabo Verde, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cabo Verde, approximately 10.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 41.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cabo Verde, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 97% 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 30.7% less likely to have internet access
In Cabo Verde, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 15.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cabo Verde, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 86% 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 52.2% more on education
Cabo Verde spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Cabo Verde spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 30.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cabo Verde, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.7% less strain on fresh water
Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 95.4% less home broadband
Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.7% less CO2
Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 69.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Cabo Verde, air pollution causes 59.0 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: Cabo Verde vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Cabo Verde? See an in-depth size comparison.