Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 92.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 8.3 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 44.2% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 83.2% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 75.6% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 61.7% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 13.2% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 15.6% less money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.9% 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.9% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
have 25.7% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 42.9% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.6% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.6% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 77.1% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 36.8% more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 14.0% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
emit 58.1% less CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 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. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.