Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 36.3% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
live 17.3 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 44.0% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 24.3% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 6.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 99.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 65.7% less money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 24.1% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 35.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 15.6% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 51.9% more on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.4% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 15.8% more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 48.2% less CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.