Eritrea vs Lesotho

Eritrea and Lesotho compared on 9 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Eritrea has about 1.5 times as many people as Lesotho: 3.6 million against 2.4 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Lesotho ($1,089 in 2025) is 58% higher than in Eritrea ($689 in 2011).
• The economy grew faster in Eritrea (8.7% in 2011) than in Lesotho (2% in 2025), a difference of 6.7 percentage points.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Lesotho (16.3%) than in Eritrea (6%), a difference of 10.3 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Eritrea can expect to live 11.1 years longer than one born in Lesotho: 68.9 years against 57.8 years in 2024.
• The population of Lesotho is older: half of its people are over 21.4 years, against 18.7 years in Eritrea in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Lesotho (51.8% in 2024) than in Eritrea (14.3% in 2020), a difference of 37.5 percentage points.
• CO2 emissions per person in Lesotho (0.43 tonnes) are 95% higher than in Eritrea (0.22 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Eritrea (12%) than in Lesotho (1.1%), a difference of 10.9 percentage points in 2024.