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

Health

be 97.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 17.5 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 11.0 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mexico has 25.9 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 41.5% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mexico scores 75 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 75.8% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 68.1% more likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 37.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 83.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 12.8 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 91.2% 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 78.5% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 34.9% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 74.0% 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 Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 60.5% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mexico, about 83.1% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 27.5% 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 Mexico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 38.7% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 56.4% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 44.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mexico, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 57.2 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 17.5 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 70.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 8.5 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
Read more

How big is Mexico compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mexico or Lesotho. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.