Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 97.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 11.4 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 58.7% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 40.9% more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
be 84.0% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 68.0% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
Economy
be 92.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 76.6% 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 Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 51.7% 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 Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
be 16.4% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
have 11.9% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 68.4% 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 Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 26.6% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 22.8% 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 Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.4% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 89.5% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.2 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 86.4% more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.8 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 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. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.