Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Sao Tome and Principe, you would:
Health
live 12.1 years less
In Sao Tome and Principe, the average life expectancy is 70 years (66 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.
be 24.0% more likely to be obese
In Sao Tome and Principe, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 49.4% fewer doctors per person
Sao Tome and Principe has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 10.2% less access to essential health services
Sao Tome and Principe scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 33.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Sao Tome and Principe 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.
Economy
be 10.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sao Tome and Principe, 55.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
be 78.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Sao Tome and Principe, 9.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 73.3% less money
Sao Tome and Principe has a GDP per capita of $4,084 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 9.2 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 15.4% fewer children
In Sao Tome and Principe, there are approximately 28.1 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 29.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 70% 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 12.4% less likely to have internet access
In Sao Tome and Principe, approximately 59.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.6% more on education
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Sao Tome and Principe spends 5.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 11.8 times more likely to be murdered
Sao Tome and Principe has a homicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Lesotho, that number is 37.7 per 100,000 as of 2008.
be 84.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sao Tome and Principe, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.3% less home broadband
Sao Tome and Principe has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 36.7% more strain on fresh water
Sao Tome and Principe withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 31.7% less CO2
Sao Tome and Principe emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 17.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Sao Tome and Principe, air pollution causes 85.0 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 (2008–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sao Tome and Principe vs. Lesotho
MORE COMPARISONS
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Sao Tome and Principe? See an in-depth size comparison.