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

Health

be 98.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 16.7 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kazakhstan spends $1,460 as of 2023.

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have 16.0 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kazakhstan has 37.5 as of 2023.

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have 50.9% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kazakhstan scores 80 as of 2021.

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be 49.1% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, it is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 70.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kazakhstan, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.

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make 13.5 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Kazakhstan, the GDP per capita is $14,692 as of 2025.

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Life

be 97.9% 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 Kazakhstan, 10.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 86.9% 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 Kazakhstan, on the other hand, 7.4 children do as of 2024.

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have 17.8% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, there are 19.5 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 Kazakhstan, 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 80.3% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kazakhstan, about 93.4% do as of 2024.

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be 25.3% 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 Kazakhstan, that number is 98% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 26.6% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 70.1% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kazakhstan, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 43.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kazakhstan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 40.3 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kazakhstan has 15.3 as of 2024.

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live with 13.5 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kazakhstan withdraws 35% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 32.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kazakhstan, it causes 68.0 as of 2019.

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emit 29.2 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Kazakhstan: At a glance

Kazakhstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,699,700 sq km. Ethnic Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who migrated to the region by the 13th century, were rarely united as a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the 1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures. This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-ethnic Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Non-Muslim ethnic minorities departed Kazakhstan in large numbers from the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s and a national program has repatriated about a million ethnic Kazakhs back to Kazakhstan. These trends have allowed Kazakhs to become the titular majority again. This dramatic demographic shift has also undermined the previous religious diversity and made the country more than 70 percent Muslim. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than those of all the other Central Asian states largely due to the country's vast natural resources. Current issues include: developing a cohesive national identity; managing Islamic revivalism; expanding the development of the country's vast energy resources and exporting them to world markets; diversifying the economy outside the oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness; developing a multiparty parliament and advancing political and social reform; and strengthening relations with neighboring states and other foreign powers.
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