Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
see 87.5% more spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 57.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Senegal, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 11.1 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 91.7% more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 44.3% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 79.6% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 94.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 18.6% fewer children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 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 22.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 13.8% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 11.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 2.9 times more on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 84.2% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 90.6% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 44.2% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 53.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.