Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Lesotho instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Lesotho spends $386 as of 2023.
have 72.8% more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Lesotho has 2.4 as of 2022.
be 74.5% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 17.1% of people as of 2024.
live 5.3 years less
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 51.1% more likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Lesotho, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 65.3% more likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 28.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Lesotho, that number is 16.3% as of 2025.
be 29.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.
make 64.0% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Lesotho, the GDP per capita is $1,089 as of 2025.
Life
be 33.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Lesotho, 478.0 women do as of 2023.
have 20.5% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 24.4% more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Lesotho, about 51.8% do as of 2024.
be 16.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% 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 17.4 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Lesotho spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 4.3 times more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 12.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Lesotho, they kill 21.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.4% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Lesotho withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 80.4% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Lesotho has 0.4 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 44.2% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Lesotho emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 78.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Lesotho
Lesotho: At a glance
How big is Lesotho compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.