Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Lesotho instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 69.3% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 15.2% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.

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live 19.3 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 82.5% fewer doctors per person

Cook Islands has 13.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.

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Life

have 96.4% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Lesotho, on the other hand, 56.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.1% less likely to have internet access

In Cook Islands, approximately 64.8% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 43.9% more on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 3.9 times more on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 22.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Cook Islands, road accidents kill 17.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 97.9% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2024), The World Factbook (2020–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. Lesotho

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Lesotho is 62.5% cheaper than Cook Islands overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 129 times smaller than Lesotho.
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Moving from Cook Islands to Lesotho · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Lesotho: At a glance

Lesotho is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 30,355 sq km. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month.
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How big is Lesotho compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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