If you lived in Estonia 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 Estonia, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 21.5 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 9.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.

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have 14.8 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.

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have 49.1% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Estonia scores 79 as of 2021.

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be 47.9% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 49.1% less likely to be unemployed

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

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make 31.6 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.0% 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 10.4% more likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Estonia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

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be 97.3% 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 70.1% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Estonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 78.1% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Estonia, about 92.2% do as of 2024.

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be 28.1% 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 Estonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 21.3% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 37.8% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.

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Safety

be 79.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 93.0 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Estonia has 35.4 as of 2024.

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live with 5.1 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 87.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Estonia, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.0 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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