Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 21.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 26.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Lesotho, that number is 21.1% of people as of 2020.

Economy

be 15.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Swaziland, 58.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.

make 72.6% less money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $8,400 as of 2020, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $2,300 as of 2020.

Life

be 24.5% more likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 437.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Lesotho, 544.0 women do as of 2017.

be 10.2% less likely to be literate

In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 88.4% as of 2018. In Lesotho, it is 79.4% as of 2015.

be 22.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Swaziland, approximately 39.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Lesotho, on the other hand, 48.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 60.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 87% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Lesotho, that number is 36% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 39.6% more on education

Swaziland spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Lesotho spends 7.4% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 66.2% more on healthcare

Swaziland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Lesotho, that number is 11.3% of GDP as of 2019.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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