Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 12.2 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 59.0% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 26.1% less money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2020, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
Life
be 83.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 544.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In North Korea, 89.0 women do as of 2017.
be 25.9% more likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 79.4% as of 2015. In North Korea, it is 100.0% as of 2015.
be 54.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 48.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 38.6% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In North Korea, there are 14.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 14.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 77% in rural areas) as of 2020. In North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020.
be 27.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2019. In North Korea, that number is 26% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.