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

Health

see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Mozambique spends $143 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

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have 34.3% more doctors per person

Mozambique has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.

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have 20.5% more access to essential health services

Mozambique scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.

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be 48.7% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Mozambique, 11.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.0 years less

In Mozambique, the average life expectancy is 64 years (60 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Mozambique, 10.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Mozambique has a suicide rate of 10.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 73.7% more money

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

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be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed

In Mozambique, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.

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Life

be 46.7% more likely to be literate

In Mozambique, the literacy rate is 61.7% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.

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be 4.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Mozambique, approximately 99.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 28.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Mozambique, approximately 43.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Lesotho, on the other hand, 56.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 35.8% fewer children

In Mozambique, there are approximately 37.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 59.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mozambique, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 9% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 57% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 45% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Mozambique, approximately 20.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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be 17.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Mozambique, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 52% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 78% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 10.7% more on education

Mozambique spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 48.4% more on healthcare

Mozambique spends 8.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 10.5 times more likely to be murdered

Mozambique has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Lesotho, that number is 37.7 per 100,000 as of 2008.

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Infrastructure

find 2.7 times more home broadband

Mozambique has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

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live with 46.9% more strain on fresh water

Mozambique withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 56.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Mozambique, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.

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emit 48.3% more CO2

Mozambique emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2008–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Lesotho: At a glance

Lesotho is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 30,355 sq km. Basutoland was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho upon independence from the UK in 1966. The Basuto National Party ruled the country during its first two decades. King MOSHOESHOE was exiled in 1990, but returned to Lesotho in 1992 and was reinstated in 1995 and subsequently succeeded by his son, King LETSIE III, in 1996. Constitutional government was restored in 1993 after seven years of military rule. In 1998, violent protests and a military mutiny following a contentious election prompted a brief but bloody intervention by South African and Batswana military forces under the aegis of the Southern African Development Community. Subsequent constitutional reforms restored relative political stability. Peaceful parliamentary elections were held in 2002, but the National Assembly elections of February 2007 were hotly contested and aggrieved parties disputed how the electoral law was applied to award proportional seats in the Assembly. In May 2012, competitive elections involving 18 parties saw Prime Minister Motsoahae Thomas THABANE form a coalition government - the first in the country's history - that ousted the 14-year incumbent, Pakalitha MOSISILI, who peacefully transferred power the following month.
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How big is Lesotho compared to Mozambique? See an in-depth size comparison.

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