Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Netherlands, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 24.2 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
be 51.3% more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 95.3% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 93.9% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 37.6% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 98.5% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 119.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Netherlands, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
be 46.6% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Netherlands, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 27.8% more on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 26.0% more on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 6.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 84.6% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 99.1% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 93.5% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.