Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
see 56.0% more spent on your healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends $247 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 43.2% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 7.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.5 years less
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 74.8% more likely to be obese
In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.5% more likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 33.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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 19.6% fewer children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 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 41.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 73.9% more likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 26.3% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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 43.0% more on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 71.3% more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 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: Guinea-Bissau vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.