Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 3.2 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 48.2% more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 39.5% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 14.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
be 62.5% more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 38.2% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 5.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 11.1% less money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.5% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 19.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
have 26.9% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.7% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.7 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.8 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 73.4% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 24.6% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 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: Nigeria vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.