Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Lesotho

One in every 2,388 babies in the world is born here: about 56,157 a year, 0.11 a minute.

Population: 2,363,325
Births a year: 56,157
Life expectancy: 57.7
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 60

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
60.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
55
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
56.3
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
60
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
478
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
17.1
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
28
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
4.3
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
31.9
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
38.2
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
2.66
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
13
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
93
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
59
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
2.6
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$2,721
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
45
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
41.9
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
16.3
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
31
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
48
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
13
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
45
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
61
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
78
World: 91
Internet users (%)
52
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.38
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 49.7 → 2026: 58.1 → 2050: 66

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 185 → 2026: 57 → 2050: 37

World

Children per woman

1960: 5.8 → 2026: 2.6 → 2050: 2.2

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 4 → 2026: 46 → 2050: 65

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Lesotho comes up about once in every 2,388 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.