Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Lesotho fits inside South Africa 40 times.
Lesotho: 30,360 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Lesotho: 0 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Lesotho’s highest peak towers 32 m above South Africa’s.
Lesotho: 3,482 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Africa has 27 times as many people as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 2.36 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Lesotho is 46% more densely populated than South Africa.
Lesotho: 78 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 1.7 cm taller than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 167.9 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 1.9 cm taller than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 156.7 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 6.8 years older than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 21.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Lesotho have 0.5 more children on average than in South Africa.
Lesotho: 2.66 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 3.9% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 3.9% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Lesotho 0.0.
Lesotho: 0 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, Lesotho 2.
Lesotho: 2 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 166 times the size of Lesotho’s.
Lesotho: $2.57 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 5 times as much per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: Int$3,184 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in Lesotho (Gini 9.2 points higher).
Lesotho: 44.9 (2017) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 16% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 16.3% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Lesotho spends 1.6% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
Lesotho: 1.6% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Africa’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Lesotho’s.
Lesotho: 34% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 4.4 times as much on health per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: $123 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 8.5 years longer than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 57.8 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Lesotho is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Africa.
Lesotho: 56.3 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 3.4 times as many doctors per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 20% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 20.2% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Lesotho smoke, versus 24% in South Africa.
Lesotho: 28% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 0.63 points higher than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 4.38 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 4.2 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 3.1 times as much meat per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 18.8 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 821 kcal more food per person per day than Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1,873 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Lesotho: no data · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 3.9 years longer than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 7.7 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Lesotho: no data · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 52% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 52% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 61% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 60.6% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 45% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 45% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Lesotho 70.
Lesotho: 70 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Lesotho: no data · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Lesotho: no data · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 14% of South Africa, but only 1.1% of Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1.1% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 6.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Lesotho’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
Lesotho: 100% (2022) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
Lesotho and South Africa are nearly identical here.
Lesotho: 24.5 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Lesotho: no data · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 13% deadlier than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 21.6 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Africa is on average 6.5 °C warmer than Lesotho.
Lesotho: 11.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Lesotho gets 2.1 times as much rain as South Africa.
Lesotho: 1,060 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Lesotho bigger than South Africa?
South Africa is larger. Lesotho fits inside South Africa 40 times.
Which has more people, Lesotho or South Africa?
South Africa has 27 times as many people as Lesotho (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Lesotho or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 8.5 years longer than in Lesotho. Life expectancy at birth is 57.8 years in Lesotho and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in Lesotho or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 1.7 cm taller than in Lesotho (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
