World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Lesotho fits inside the median country 3.7 times.
Lesotho: 30,360 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Lesotho: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Lesotho’s highest peak towers 1,147 m above the median country’s.
Lesotho: 3,482 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 3.1 times as many people as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 2.36 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 26% more densely populated than Lesotho.
Lesotho: 78 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 5.6 cm taller than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 167.9 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.8 cm taller than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 156.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 9.7 years older than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 21.4 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Lesotho have 0.8 more children on average than in the median country.
Lesotho: 2.66 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.9% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 3.9% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Lesotho and the median country are practically level.
Lesotho: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Lesotho has 2 official languages, the median country 1.
Lesotho: 2 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 18 times the size of Lesotho’s.
Lesotho: $2.57 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 6.6 times as much per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: Int$3,184 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Lesotho than in the median country (Gini 10.5 points higher).
Lesotho: 44.9 (2017) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 16% in Lesotho, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Lesotho: 16.3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and Lesotho are practically level.
Lesotho: 1.6% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Lesotho’s.
Lesotho: 34% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: $123 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 17 years longer than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 57.8 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Lesotho is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Lesotho: 56.3 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 7.1 times as many doctors per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 20% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 20.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Lesotho smoke, versus 19% in the median country.
Lesotho: 28% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.46 points higher than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 4.38 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2% more alcohol than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 4.2 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 3 times as much meat per person as Lesotho.
Lesotho: 18.8 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 1,065 kcal more food per person per day than Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1,873 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Lesotho: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 2.2 years longer than in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 7.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Lesotho: no data · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 52% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 52% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 61% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 60.6% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 45% in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 45% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Lesotho 70.
Lesotho: 70 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Lesotho: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Lesotho: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 1.1% of Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1.1% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Lesotho.
Lesotho: 1.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Lesotho’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Lesotho: 100% (2022) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Lesotho carries 48% more fine dust than in the median country.
Lesotho: 24.5 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Lesotho: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Lesotho are 76% deadlier than in the median country.
Lesotho: 21.6 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 11.0 °C warmer than Lesotho.
Lesotho: 11.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Lesotho gets 4% more rain than the median country.
Lesotho: 1,060 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Lesotho bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Lesotho fits inside the median country 3.7 times.
Which has more people, Lesotho or the median country?
The median country has 3.1 times as many people as Lesotho (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Lesotho or the median country?
People in the median country live 17 years longer than in Lesotho. Life expectancy at birth is 57.8 years in Lesotho and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Lesotho or the median country?
Men in the median country are 5.6 cm taller than in Lesotho (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
