Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Albania instead of Lesotho, you would:

Health

be 99.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 21.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Albania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2017.

live 19.9 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022. In Albania, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

be 30.7% more likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Albania, that number is 21.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 5.8 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2020, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $13,300 as of 2020.

be 79.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 28.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Albania, that number is 5.8% as of 2019.

be 71.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Albania, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2012.

pay a 23.3% lower top tax rate

Lesotho has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Albania, the top tax rate is 23.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 97.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Lesotho, approximately 544.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Albania, 15.0 women do as of 2017.

be 23.6% more likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 79.4% as of 2015. In Albania, it is 98.1% as of 2018.

be 77.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Lesotho, approximately 48.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Albania, on the other hand, 10.8 children do as of 2022.

have 45.2% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Albania, there are 12.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Lesotho, approximately 36% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Albania, 100% of the population do as of 2020.

be 67.4% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 43.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Albania, about 72.0% do as of 2020.

be 17.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Lesotho, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 77% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Albania, that number is 97% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 47.3% less on education

Lesotho spends 7.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Albania spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 54.0% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Albania, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2018.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Albanian Taxation Office.

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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How big is Albania compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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