If you lived in Equatorial Guinea instead of Lesotho, you would:

Health

live 6.1 years longer

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

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be 13.6% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 19.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 58.0% more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Equatorial Guinea spends $609 as of 2023.

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be 75.5% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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have 34.9% fewer doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 13.2% less access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Equatorial Guinea scores 46 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 48.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.

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make 6.1 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Equatorial Guinea, the GDP per capita is $6,615 as of 2025.

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Life

be 63.6% 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 Equatorial Guinea, 174.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 15.5% 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 Equatorial Guinea, on the other hand, 47.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 26.2% more children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, there are 30.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 16.8% 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 Equatorial Guinea, that number is 67% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 22.2% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Equatorial Guinea, about 63.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 72.2% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Equatorial Guinea, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 45.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Equatorial Guinea, they kill 11.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 93.0% less strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 73.7% less home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 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 Equatorial Guinea, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.9 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Equatorial Guinea: At a glance

Equatorial Guinea is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 28,051 sq km. Equatorial Guinea gained independence in 1968 after 190 years of Spanish rule. This tiny country, composed of a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands, is one of the smallest on the African continent. President Teodoro Obiang NGUEMA MBASOGO has ruled the country since 1979 when he seized power in a coup. Although nominally a constitutional democracy since 1991, the 1996, 2002, and 2009 presidential elections - as well as the 1999, 2004, 2008, and 2013 legislative elections - were widely seen as flawed. The president exerts almost total control over the political system and has discouraged political opposition. Equatorial Guinea has experienced rapid economic growth due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves, and in the last decade has become Sub-Saharan Africa's third largest oil exporter. Despite the country's economic windfall from oil production, resulting in a massive increase in government revenue in recent years, improvements in the population's living standards have been slow to develop.
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How big is Equatorial Guinea compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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