Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Palau instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 11.6 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Palau spends $1,857 as of 2023.
have 7.7 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Palau has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 22.6% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Palau scores 65 as of 2021.
be 82.3% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Palau, that number is 40.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 17.9 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Palau, the GDP per capita is $19,532 as of 2025.
Life
be 81.4% 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 Palau, 89.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.0% 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 Palau, on the other hand, 18.6 children do as of 2024.
have 55.0% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Palau, there are 10.7 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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 62.0% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Palau, about 83.9% do as of 2024.
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 Palau, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.0% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Palau spends 3.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.0% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Palau, that number is 10.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 19.3 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Palau has 7.3 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 192.7 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Palau emits 82.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Palau
Palau: At a glance
How big is Palau compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.