Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
be 85.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Timor-Leste, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 10.1 years less
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 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.
be 6.2 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 16.4% less spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 68.8% fewer doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 8.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 18.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Timor-Leste, 41.8% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 18.8% less money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 30.3% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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 27.1% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Timor-Leste, 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 10.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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.
Expenditures
spend 26.3% more on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 31.4% more on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 90.9% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 14.0% less CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 63.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2014). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.