Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
see 4.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 64.3% more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 51.4% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 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 Ethiopia, 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 9.8 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 7.6 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 16.7% more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 49.6% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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 24.5% fewer children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 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 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 40.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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 2.9 times more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 4.5 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 92.0% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 35.6% less home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 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: Ethiopia vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.