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

Health

be 27.1% less likely to be obese

In Oman, 30.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Oman, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 22.5 years less

In Oman, the average life expectancy is 80 years (79 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 73.3% less spent on your healthcare

Oman spends $1,444 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 88.2% fewer doctors per person

Oman has 19.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 24.3% less access to essential health services

Oman scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 31.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Oman has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 5.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Oman, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 94.5% less money

Oman has a GDP per capita of $19,947 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 41.6% more children

In Oman, there are approximately 16.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 36.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Oman, approximately 13.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 6.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Oman, approximately 8.3 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Oman, 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.

View global rankings →

be 45.6% less likely to have internet access

In Oman, approximately 95.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 15.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Oman, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 76% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 51.1% more on education

Oman spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

spend 3.6 times more on healthcare

Oman spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 96.4% more likely to die in a road accident

In Oman, road accidents kill 11.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water

Oman withdraws 117% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 96.6% less home broadband

Oman has 11.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 97.7% less CO2

Oman emits 18.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (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.
Read more

How big is Lesotho compared to Oman? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Lesotho or Oman. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.