Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
be 42.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Lesotho, 17.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 5.3 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
be 33.8% less likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 39.5% less likely to die by suicide
Lesotho has a suicide rate of 28.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 73.3% less spent on your healthcare
Lesotho spends $386 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 42.1% fewer doctors per person
Lesotho has 2.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 43.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 16.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 22.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 2.8 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $1,089 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.1% 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
have 25.8% more children
In Lesotho, there are approximately 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.8% more 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.6% less likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 51.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 13.9% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 94.3% less on education
Lesotho spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 76.8% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 12.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 38.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Lesotho, road accidents kill 21.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.1 times more home broadband
Lesotho has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 17.9 times more strain on fresh water
Lesotho withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Lesotho, air pollution causes 100.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.1% more CO2
Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.