Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Lesotho instead of Burkina Faso, you would:

Health

be 30.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Burkina Faso, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Lesotho, that number is 21.1% of people as of 2020.

live 3.9 years less

In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022. In Lesotho, that number is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.0 times more likely to be obese

In Burkina Faso, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Lesotho, that number is 16.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Burkina Faso, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Lesotho, that number is 16.5% as of 2023.

be 15.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Lesotho, however, that number is 49.7% as of 2017.

Life

be 76.1% more likely to be literate

In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 46.0% as of 2021. In Lesotho, it is 81.0% as of 2021.

be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Burkina Faso, approximately 264.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Lesotho, 566.0 women do as of 2020.

have 28.2% fewer children

In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Lesotho, there are 22.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 2.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burkina Faso, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Lesotho, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Burkina Faso, approximately 22.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Lesotho, about 48.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 58.2% more on education

Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Lesotho spends 8.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 76.1% more on healthcare

Burkina Faso spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Lesotho, that number is 11.8% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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 Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.

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