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

Health

be 65.9% less likely to be obese

In Tuvalu, 65.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 42.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Tuvalu, 0.4% 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 9.5 years less

In Tuvalu, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 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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see 76.9% less spent on your healthcare

Tuvalu spends $1,671 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.

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have 82.5% fewer doctors per person

Tuvalu has 13.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.

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Economy

make 82.0% less money

Tuvalu has a GDP per capita of $6,041 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.

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Life

be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Tuvalu, approximately 170.0 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 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Tuvalu, approximately 16.5 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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Basic Needs

be 42.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Tuvalu, 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.

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be 36.2% less likely to have internet access

In Tuvalu, approximately 81.2% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.

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be 20.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Tuvalu, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 100% 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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Expenditures

spend 48.5% less on education

Tuvalu spends 12.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 53.5% less on healthcare

Tuvalu spends 27.1% 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 20.7% more likely to die in a road accident

In Tuvalu, road accidents kill 17.9 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 91.6% less home broadband

Tuvalu has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Tuvalu? See an in-depth size comparison.

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