Burundi vs Lesotho
Lesotho is 9% larger than Burundi.
BurundiLesothoBurundi moved onto Lesotho · Equal-area projection
0.92×
Burundi is 0.92× the area of Lesotho. Put the other way, Lesotho is 1.09× the size of Burundi.
 Burundi |  Lesotho | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLesotho: 1.09× the area | 27,834 km²#143 of 194 | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBurundi: 6.09× the population | 14,390,003#78 of 194 · 2025 | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurundi: 6.64× the density | 517 / km²#15 of 194 | 78 / km²#107 of 194 |
| Urban populationLesotho: 1.74× the urban share | 26%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurundi: 1.8× the births per woman | 4.79 per woman#8 of 192 · 2024 | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurundi: 1.31 points higher | +2.41%#25 of 192 · 2025 | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurundi: 1.39× the birth rate | 33.2 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2024 | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 1.57× the death rate | 6.7 per 1,000#115 of 192 · 2024 | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burundi: 9.9 points higher | 44.0%#9 of 192 · 2025 | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Lesotho: 1.4 points higher | 2.5%#183 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationLesotho: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.4 per 1,000#153 of 192 · 2025 | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurundi: 2,212× the refugees for its size | 22.12 per 1,000#10 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBurundi: 6.0 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 1.85× the infant mortality | 30.5 per 1,000 births#45 of 191 · 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsLesotho: 3.0× the doctors per person | 0.08 per 1,000#172 of 178 · 2022 | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 6.4%#137 of 145 · 2025 | — |
| Human Development IndexLesotho: 0.111 higher | 0.439#184 of 190 · 2023 | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaLesotho: 5.33× the income per person | $240#185 of 185 · 2025 | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBurundi: 1.31× the economy | $3.37B2025 | $2.57B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Lesotho: 2.55× the output per person | $1,248#184 of 184 · 2025 | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBurundi: 2.2 points higher | +4.2%#65 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBurundi: 29.8 points higher | +34.1%#7 of 176 · 2025 | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 18.1× the unemployment | 0.9%#174 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurundi: 1.77× the share in extreme poverty | 74.2%#5 of 149 · 2020 | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 7.4 higher | 37.5#55 of 149 · 2020 | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurundi: 54.4 points higher | 85.3% of jobs#1 of 178 · 2025 | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 29.9 points higher | 3.1% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLesotho: 24.5 points higher | 11.6% of jobs#178 of 178 · 2025 | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLesotho: 0.3 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurundi: 1.99× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#24 of 155 · 2025 | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersLesotho: 6.02× the share online | 9%#184 of 184 · 2024 | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLesotho: 1.11× the mobile subscriptions | 63 per 100#170 of 191 · 2023 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBurundi: 9.91× the forest share | 11% of land#154 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLesotho: 6.14× the CO₂ per person | 0.07 t a year#179 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurundi: 48.1 points higher | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2022 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityLesotho: 40.5 points higher | 20.1%#188 of 192 · 2024 | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burundi: 1.35× the air pollution | 35.7 µg/m³#32 of 191 · 2023 | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 15.8 points higher | 7.6% of land#157 of 191 · 2025 | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurundi: 24.7 points higher | 43.7% of land#9 of 190 · 2024 | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBurundi: 3.92× the water stress | 10.2%#90 of 176 · 2022 | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBurundi: 1.62× the rain and snow | 1,274 mm#71 of 180 · 2022 | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLesotho: 1.22 higher | −1.23#169 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLesotho: 1.27 higher | −1.54#184 of 193 · 2025 | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 5.6 per 100,000#47 of 146 · 2016 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Capital | Bujumbura | Maseru |
| Currency | Burundian franc (BIF) | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) |
| Official languages | English, French, Kirundi | English, Sesotho |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +257 | +266 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | 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. Burundi sits at about 3° S and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Burundi bigger than Lesotho?
- No. Burundi is 8% smaller than Lesotho. Burundi covers 27,834 km² and Lesotho covers 30,355 km².
- How many times does Burundi fit into Lesotho?
- About 1.1 times: Lesotho has 1.09× the area of Burundi.
- Why do Burundi and Lesotho look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burundi is drawn about 1.0× 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, Burundi or Lesotho?
- Burundi: 14,390,003 people against 2,363,325. Density: Burundi 517 per km², Lesotho 78 per km².
- Which is richer, Burundi or Lesotho?
- By gross national income per person, Lesotho: $1,280 against $240 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 5.33× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burundi or Lesotho?
- In Burundi: life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years, against 57.8 — 6.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burundi and Lesotho have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Burundi: presidential republic; Lesotho: constitutional monarchy.