Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 44.0% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iraq, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 14.6 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 54.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 77.0% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 10.2% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 9.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 79.9% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 7.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 36.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 95.7% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 91.7% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 14.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.