Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 97.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 3.5 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.4% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 70.3% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 41.9% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 37.0% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 24.5% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 49.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 478.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 56.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
have 31.9% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.0% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 62.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.5% less likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 36.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.5% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 38.1% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 16.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.2% less CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.