Armenia vs Lesotho
Lesotho and Armenia are almost exactly the same size.
ArmeniaLesothoArmenia moved onto Lesotho · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Armenia is 0.98× the area of Lesotho. Put the other way, Lesotho is 1.02× the size of Armenia.
 Armenia |  Lesotho | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 29,743 km²#139 of 194 | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationArmenia: 1.31× the population | 3,086,700#135 of 194 · 2025 | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityArmenia: 1.33× the density | 104 / km²#85 of 194 | 78 / km²#107 of 194 |
| Urban populationArmenia: 1.47× the urban share | 66%#86 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLesotho: 1.56× the births per woman | 1.70 per woman#118 of 192 · 2024 | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthArmenia: 0.64 points higher | +1.74%#58 of 192 · 2025 | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLesotho: 2.14× the birth rate | 11.1 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2024 | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 1.25× the death rate | 8.4 per 1,000#66 of 192 · 2024 | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Lesotho: 15.1 points higher | 19.0%#119 of 192 · 2025 | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Armenia: 10.5 points higher | 14.4%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLesotho: 7.2 per 1,000 higher | −9.4 per 1,000#180 of 192 · 2025 | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadArmenia: 505× the refugees for its size | 5.05 per 1,000#26 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyArmenia: 20.5 years longer | 78.3 years#50 of 192 · 2024 | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 6.62× the infant mortality | 8.5 per 1,000 births#119 of 191 · 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsArmenia: 14× the doctors per person | 3.36 per 1,000#51 of 178 · 2022 | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 52.8%#73 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexArmenia: 0.261 higher | 0.811#68 of 190 · 2023 | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaArmenia: 7.05× the income per person | $9,020#84 of 185 · 2025 | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPArmenia: 11.4× the economy | $29.24B2025 | $2.57B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Armenia: 7.77× the output per person | $24,754#80 of 184 · 2025 | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthArmenia: 5.2 points higher | +7.2%#17 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLesotho: 1.0 points higher | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 1.26× the unemployment | 12.9%#21 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLesotho: 52.4× the share in extreme poverty | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2024 | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 17.5 higher | 27.4#133 of 149 · 2024 | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureLesotho: 3.9 points higher | 27.0% of jobs#68 of 178 · 2025 | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 11.7 points higher | 21.3% of jobs#68 of 178 · 2025 | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesArmenia: 15.6 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentArmenia: 1.1 points higher | 2.4% of GDP#78 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLesotho: 1.4 points higher | 48.1% of GDP#48 of 168 · 2025 | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingArmenia: 3.74× the military spending | 6.1% of GDP#9 of 155 · 2025 | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersArmenia: 1.57× the share online | 81%#96 of 184 · 2024 | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsArmenia: 1.93× the mobile subscriptions | 135 per 100#43 of 191 · 2024 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaArmenia: 10.7× the forest share | 12% of land#149 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personArmenia: 5.74× the CO₂ per person | 2.47 t a year#96 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLesotho: 25.8 points higher | 9.1%#146 of 190 · 2021 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityArmenia: 39.4 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Armenia: 1.08× the air pollution | 28.6 µg/m³#52 of 191 · 2023 | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landArmenia: 15.5 points higher | 38.9% of land#16 of 191 · 2025 | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLesotho: 3.3 points higher | 15.7% of land#71 of 190 · 2024 | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressArmenia: 23.8× the water stress | 62.0%#28 of 176 · 2022 | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLesotho: 1.4× the rain and snow | 562 mm#136 of 180 · 2022 | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLesotho: 0.42 higher | −0.43#133 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionArmenia: 0.38 higher | +0.11#77 of 193 · 2025 | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 2.2 per 100,000#74 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicparliamentary democracy; note - constitutional changes adopted in December 2015 transformed the government to a parliamentary system | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | Yerevan | Maseru |
| Currency | Armenian dram (AMD) | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) |
| Official languages | Armenian | English, Sesotho |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+4 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +374 | +266 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Southern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Armenia sits at about 40° N and is stretched to 1.72× its true area; Lesotho at 30° S is stretched to 1.32×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Armenia bigger than Lesotho?
- No. Armenia and Lesotho are almost exactly the same size. Armenia covers 29,743 km² and Lesotho covers 30,355 km².
- How many times does Armenia fit into Lesotho?
- About 1.0 times: Lesotho has 1.02× the area of Armenia.
- Why do Armenia and Lesotho look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Armenia is drawn about 1.72× its true area there and Lesotho about 1.32×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Armenia or Lesotho?
- Armenia: 3,086,700 people against 2,363,325. Density: Armenia 104 per km², Lesotho 78 per km².
- Which is richer, Armenia or Lesotho?
- By gross national income per person, Armenia: $9,020 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 7.05× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Armenia or Lesotho?
- In Armenia: life expectancy at birth is 78.3 years, against 57.8 — 20.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Armenia and Lesotho have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Armenia: parliamentary republic; Lesotho: constitutional monarchy.