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

Health

be 71.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 10.7 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 57.4% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 80.8% less likely to die by suicide

Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

see 64.0% less spent on your healthcare

Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 18.7% fewer doctors per person

Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 83.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 10.8% more money

Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 64.4% 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 Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 36.2% 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 44.9% more children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 14.8% less likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 90.5% as of 2024. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 10.1% 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 Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 82.7% less likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 19.3% less 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 Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 61.3% less on education

Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 66.4% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 25.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 44.7% less home broadband

Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uganda has 0.2 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water

Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 40.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 60.5% less CO2

Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 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

Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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