Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
see 64.5% more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 10.4% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 11.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 7.9 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 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 52.7% more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 11.7% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 5.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ghana, 23.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 66.6% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.3% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 36.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 28.2% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 13.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 4.3 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 16.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 59.3% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 42.4% less home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 38.6% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 12.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.