Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 43.3% more doctors per person
Vanuatu has 1.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
have 12.8% more access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Lesotho scores 53 as of 2021.
be 171.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vanuatu, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 13.9 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 82.2% more likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 73.0% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 14.1% fewer children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 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 25.9% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 10.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 13.4% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 72.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 67.2% less home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 50.6% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 75.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 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), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.