Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 20.3% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 85.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ireland, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 25.2 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 95.6% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 93.9% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 36.1% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 99.2% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 119.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 Ireland, 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 46.7% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 19.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 84.1% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 7.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 68.1% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 98.8% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 92.9% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 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: Ireland vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.