Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Japan instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 26.2 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 73.4% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Japan, that number is 5.9% of people as of 2024.
see 13.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Japan spends $5,365 as of 2023.
have 11.3 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Japan has 26.5 as of 2022.
have 56.6% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Japan scores 83 as of 2021.
be 39.2% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Japan, it is 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Japan, that number is 2.5% as of 2025.
make 33.0 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Japan, the GDP per capita is $35,951 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.4% 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 Japan, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 96.8% 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 Japan, on the other hand, 1.8 children do as of 2024.
have 76.0% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Japan, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Japan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 65.1% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Japan, about 85.5% do as of 2024.
be 27.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 78% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Japan, 99% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.5% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Japan spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 14.8% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Japan, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 87.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Japan, they kill 2.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 101.7 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Japan has 38.6 as of 2023.
live with 14.3 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Japan withdraws 37% as of 2022.
Environment
be 88.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Japan, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.2 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Japan emits 7.8 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. Japan
Japan: At a glance
How big is Japan compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.