Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 99.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 23.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2018. In Iceland, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2018.

live 30.3 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 53 years (53 years for men, 53 years for women) as of 2020. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2020.

be 31.9% more likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iceland, that number is 21.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 15.8 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2017, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $52,200 as of 2017.

be 90.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 28.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Iceland, that number is 2.8% as of 2017.

pay a 54.3% higher top tax rate

Lesotho has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Iceland, the top tax rate is 46.3% as of 2016.

Life

be 99.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Lesotho, approximately 544.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Iceland, 4.0 women do as of 2017.

be 94.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Lesotho, approximately 41.5 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2020.

have 42.7% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Iceland, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 3.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Lesotho, approximately 30% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In Iceland, 100% of the population do as of 2016.

be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Iceland, about 99.0% do as of 2018.

be 27.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Lesotho, approximately 78% of people have improved drinking water access (93% in urban areas, and 72% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Iceland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Expenditures

spend 17.2% more on education

Lesotho spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Iceland spends 7.5% of total GDP on education as of 2016.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Directorate of Internal Revenue.

Iceland: At a glance

Iceland is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 100,250 sq km. Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Denmark granted limited home rule in 1874 and complete independence in 1944. The second half of the 20th century saw substantial economic growth driven primarily by the fishing industry. The economy diversified greatly after the country joined the European Economic Area in 1994, but Iceland was especially hard hit by the global financial crisis in the years following 2008. Literacy, longevity, and social cohesion are first rate by world standards.
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How big is Iceland compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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