If you lived in Lesotho instead of Sudan, you would:

Health

see 13.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Sudan spends $28 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

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have 20.5% more access to essential health services

Sudan scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.

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be 85.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sudan, 0.2% 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 8.7 years less

In Sudan, the average life expectancy is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 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 24.9% more likely to be obese

In Sudan, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 9.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Sudan has a suicide rate of 3.2 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 42.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Sudan, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.

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Life

be 86.7% more likely to die during childbirth

In Sudan, approximately 256.0 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 31.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Sudan, approximately 42.9 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.

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have 28.0% fewer children

In Sudan, there are approximately 33.0 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 80.5% more likely to have internet access

In Sudan, approximately 28.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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be 20.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Sudan, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 60% 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.

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be 13.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Sudan, approximately 66% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 54% 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 4.4 times more on healthcare

Sudan spends 2.9% 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% more likely to die in a road accident

In Sudan, road accidents kill 19.6 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 6.3 times more home broadband

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

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live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water

Sudan withdraws 119% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 42.9% more likely to die from air pollution

In Sudan, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2023). 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 Sudan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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