Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 25.8 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 92.4% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 91.0% fewer doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 40.4% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 97.0% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 119.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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.
Basic Needs
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 47.1% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 21.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Lesotho, 78% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.4% more on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 45.3% more on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.0% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 99.2% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.2% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.