Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 95.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
live 4.3 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 69.9% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 69.4% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 85.0% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 11.5% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 20.8% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 13.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 25.9% less money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 72.1% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 24.3% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 61.4% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 62.0% less likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 54.3% 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.1% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 70.8% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.1% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 92.1% less home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
Environment
be 28.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
emit 86.0% less CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.