Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
see 7.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 96.3% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 49.0% more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 64.7% more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.1% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 13.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 43.9% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 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 13.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 85.4% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 89.5% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 47.2% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
be 56.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.6 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.