Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 81.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 8.2 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 76.6% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 45.8% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 26.4% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 22.6% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.3 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
be 21.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 49.6% 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 52.0% 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
have 28.0% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.9% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% less 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 49.5% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.8% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 61.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
live with 98.8% less strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.1 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.