Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Uganda, you would:
Health
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Uganda spends $139 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 23.0% more doctors per person
Uganda has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 3.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Uganda, 4.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 10.7 years less
In Uganda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 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.
be 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Uganda, 9.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Uganda has a suicide rate of 5.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Uganda, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 17.4% more likely to be literate
In Uganda, the literacy rate is 77.0% as of 2024. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uganda, 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.
be 56.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Uganda, approximately 35.9 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.
have 31.0% fewer children
In Uganda, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 23.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Uganda, approximately 52% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 42% 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 5.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Uganda, approximately 8.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 23.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Uganda, approximately 63% of people have access to drinking water (80% in urban areas, and 57% 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 2.6 times more on education
Uganda spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Uganda spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uganda, road accidents kill 16.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.0% more home broadband
Uganda has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
live with 55.9% less strain on fresh water
Uganda withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 66.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Uganda, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uganda vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Uganda? See an in-depth size comparison.