Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Japan, you would:
Health
live 26.2 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 92.8% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 91.1% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 36.1% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 64.4% more likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 97.0% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 159.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 Japan, 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 39.4% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Lesotho, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 98.2% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 17.4% more on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 8.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.0% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 94.5% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.