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

Health

be 94.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.

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live 8.4 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 47.6% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 72.2% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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see 59.8% less spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 10.2% fewer doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Djibouti has 2.1 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. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 57.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Djibouti, however, that number is 21.1% as of 2017.

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make 3.6 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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be 59.4% more likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 66.1% 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 23.6% 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 11.9% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.8% 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 Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 26.1% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 81.9% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 3.9 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 41.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Djibouti, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 79.1% more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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