Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 96.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 0.6% of people as of 2024.
live 23.2 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 11.4 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 52.8% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 71.9% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 47.2% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 58.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
make 18.3 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.0% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 83.8% 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 Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 58.0% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 74.5% 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 68.3% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
be 27.8% more 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 Costa Rica, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.8% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.5% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.3 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 85.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 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. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.