If you lived in Lesotho instead of Solomon Islands, you would:

Health

see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Solomon Islands spends $153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

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have 12.8% more access to essential health services

Solomon Islands scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.

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

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

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live 12.9 years less

In Solomon Islands, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 58 years (55 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 46.2% more likely to die by suicide

Solomon Islands has a suicide rate of 19.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 11.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Solomon Islands, 1.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.

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make 47.8% less money

Solomon Islands has a GDP per capita of $2,086 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.

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Life

be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Solomon Islands, approximately 123.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Solomon Islands, approximately 16.4 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.

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have 11.0% fewer children

In Solomon Islands, there are approximately 26.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 78.4% more likely to have internet access

In Solomon Islands, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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be 29.5% less likely to have access to electricity

In Solomon Islands, approximately 81% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 81% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 20.1% less on education

Solomon Islands spends 8.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 2.4 times more on healthcare

Solomon Islands spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 10.2 times more likely to be murdered

Solomon Islands has a homicide rate of 3.7 per 100,000 people as of 2008. In Lesotho, that number is 37.7 per 100,000 as of 2008.

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be 92.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Solomon Islands, road accidents kill 11.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 3.5 times more home broadband

Solomon Islands has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 75.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In Solomon Islands, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.

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emit 13.2% more CO2

Solomon Islands emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2008–2021). 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.
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How big is Lesotho compared to Solomon Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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