Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2023.
live 23.6 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 17.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 14.0 times more doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 66.0% more access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 66.7% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 23.2% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 70.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
be 62.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
make 52.9 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.3% 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 92.7% 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 United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 58.4% fewer children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people 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 United Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 84.3% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% do as of 2024.
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 United Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.7% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 11.7% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Safety
be 88.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 110.9 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 87.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.8 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.