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

Health

be 98.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 26.1 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 31.1% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 12.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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have 18.3 times more doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.

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have 60.4% more access to essential health services

Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Spain scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 69.6% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Spain, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 36.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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make 35.5 times more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.4% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 10.2% more likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Spain, it is 99.7% as of 2021.

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be 95.4% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 72.6% fewer children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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

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be 84.9% more likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.

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be 28.0% 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 Spain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.7% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 26.9% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 83.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 103.2 times more home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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live with 16.8 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 90.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 10.5 times more CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

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