Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vanuatu instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 13.9 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Vanuatu, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vanuatu, it is 15.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 63.4% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vanuatu spends $141 as of 2023.
have 30.2% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vanuatu has 1.6 as of 2019.
have 11.3% less access to essential health services
Lesotho scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vanuatu scores 47 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vanuatu, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 68.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Vanuatu, however, that number is 15.9% as of 2020.
make 3.7 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Vanuatu, the GDP per capita is $4,039 as of 2025.
Life
be 79.1% 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 Vanuatu, 100.0 women do as of 2023.
be 74.4% 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 Vanuatu, on the other hand, 14.4 children do as of 2024.
have 16.4% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vanuatu, there are 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.9% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Vanuatu, about 69.9% do as of 2022.
be 11.6% 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 Vanuatu, that number is 87% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.3% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vanuatu, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.4% more on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Vanuatu spends 7.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 42.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vanuatu, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.1 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vanuatu has 1.2 as of 2024.
Environment
be 43.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vanuatu, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Lesotho vs. Vanuatu
Vanuatu: At a glance
How big is Vanuatu compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.