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

Health

be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 14.6 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mongolia spends $1,109 as of 2023.

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have 17.6 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mongolia has 41.3 as of 2022.

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have 22.6% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mongolia scores 65 as of 2021.

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be 35.5% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mongolia, it is 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 13.0% more likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 25.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 68.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mongolia, that number is 5.2% as of 2025.

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make 6.5 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Mongolia, the GDP per capita is $7,108 as of 2025.

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Life

be 91.4% 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 Mongolia, 41.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 80.1% 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 Mongolia, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 28.9% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mongolia, there are 16.9 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 Mongolia, 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 64.3% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mongolia, about 85.1% do as of 2024.

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be 10.3% 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 Mongolia, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 21.3% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Mongolia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 51.9% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mongolia, that number is 6.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 42.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mongolia, they kill 12.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 41.5 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mongolia has 15.8 as of 2024.

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live with 32.3% more strain on fresh water

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

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Environment

be 20.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mongolia, it causes 120.0 as of 2019.

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emit 18.3 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mongolia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Mongolia: At a glance

Mongolia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,553,556 sq km. The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; more ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party that lasted until January 2012. In 2009, current President ELBEGDORJ of the Democratic Party was elected to office and was re-elected for his second term in June 2013. In 2010, the MPRP voted to retake the name of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), a name it used in the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, a new party was formed by former president ENKHBAYAR, which adopted the MPRP name. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, a coalition of four political parties led by the Democratic Party, gained control of the Parliament.
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