Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 75.4% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 29.3% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 12.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.2 years less
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 28.7% more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 86.1% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 35.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
have 21.1% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 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 61.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 14.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% 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 2.5 times more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 56.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 5.1 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.