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

Health

be 98.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 18.7 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 6.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 15.4 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 47.2% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 66.4% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 45.9% more likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 63.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 20.7 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 97.5% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 89.3% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 68.4% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Romania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 76.2% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Romania, about 91.3% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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 Romania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 50.5% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 54.7% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 55.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 94.2 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 54.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 8.7 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


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

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Read more

How big is Romania compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Romania or Lesotho. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.