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

Health

be 85.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.2 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 27.8% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.

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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 Cameroon, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 36.2% less spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.

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have 42.1% fewer doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cameroon has 1.4 as of 2022.

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have 17.0% less access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 77.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.

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make 81.1% more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.

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Life

be 46.0% 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 Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 28.6% 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 Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 40.3% more children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.7% more 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 Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 10.7% less likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 57.1% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 63.9% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 50.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 5.6 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.

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live with 39.3% less strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 18.6% less CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Cameroon: At a glance

Cameroon is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 472,710 sq km. French Cameroon became independent in 1960 as the Republic of Cameroon. The following year the southern portion of neighboring British Cameroon voted to merge with the new country to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. In 1972, a new constitution replaced the federation with a unitary state, the United Republic of Cameroon. The country has generally enjoyed stability, which has permitted the development of agriculture, roads, and railways, as well as a petroleum industry. Despite slow movement toward democratic reform, political power remains firmly in the hands of President Paul BIYA.
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How big is Cameroon compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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