Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 14.0 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 23.1% more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
be 58.1% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 69.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 55.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 5.4 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.9% 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 Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 78.2% 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 Samoa, on the other hand, 12.3 children do 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 Samoa, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.3% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
be 27.4% 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 Samoa, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 46.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
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 Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 66.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.