Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 65.4% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
live 14.0 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 18.7% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 58.1% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 81.5% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, 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 31.2% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 21.2% more on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 86.0% more on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 56.8% less home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 73.1% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.