Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand 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 New Zealand, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 24.2 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 14.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 15.4 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 60.4% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 58.4% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.1% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 68.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 45.5 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.5% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 92.9% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 53.6% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 80.5% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
be 28.1% 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 New Zealand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.3% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. New Zealand spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 69.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 100.1 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% 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 New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 14.0 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 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. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.