Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 34.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Latvia, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 18.6 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 87.3% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 93.1% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 29.3% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 88.4% more likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 95.9% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 25.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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 Latvia, 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 44.1% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 20.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Latvia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% 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 53.2% more on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 73.2% more on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.5% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 88.2% less CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.