Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
see 6.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 13.0% more doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 26.2% more access to essential health services
Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, 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 4.3 years less
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 35.0% more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 32.0% more likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
have 41.9% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% 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 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% 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 2.3 times more on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 32.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 12.7 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 11.2 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 38.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.2 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Lesotho
MORE COMPARISONS
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.