Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
see 58.2% more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
be 81.9% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 8.7 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 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 91.9% more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
have 27.5% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 4.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
make 17.4% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 26.0% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Lesotho, it is 90.5% as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 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 Zambia, 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.
have 27.4% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 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 12.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 3.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.7% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.9% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 20.4% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Lesotho, it causes 100.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.