Equatorial Guinea vs Lesotho
Lesotho is 8% larger than Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial GuineaLesothoEquatorial Guinea moved onto Lesotho · Equal-area projection
0.92×
Equatorial Guinea is 0.92× the area of Lesotho. Put the other way, Lesotho is 1.08× the size of Equatorial Guinea.
 Equatorial Guinea |  Lesotho | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLesotho: 1.08× the area | 28,051 km²#142 of 194 | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 2 | 1 |
| People | ||
| PopulationLesotho: 1.22× the population | 1,938,431#147 of 194 · 2025 | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLesotho: 1.13× the density | 69 / km²#117 of 194 | 78 / km²#107 of 194 |
| Urban populationEquatorial Guinea: 1.6× the urban share | 72%#66 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateEquatorial Guinea: 1.55× the births per woman | 4.12 per woman#21 of 192 · 2024 | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthEquatorial Guinea: 1.30 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateEquatorial Guinea: 1.26× the birth rate | 30.0 per 1,000#30 of 192 · 2024 | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 1.33× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Equatorial Guinea: 3.0 points higher | 37.1%#40 of 192 · 2025 | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Lesotho: 0.1 points higher | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationEquatorial Guinea: 4.2 per 1,000 higher | +2.0 per 1,000#38 of 192 · 2025 | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadEquatorial Guinea: 22× the refugees for its size | 0.22 per 1,000#99 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyEquatorial Guinea: 6.1 years longer | 63.9 years#170 of 192 · 2024 | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 1.18× the infant mortality | 47.6 per 1,000 births#15 of 191 · 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsLesotho: 1.6× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexEquatorial Guinea: 0.124 higher | 0.674#131 of 190 · 2023 | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaEquatorial Guinea: 4.6× the income per person | $5,890#105 of 185 · 2025 | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPEquatorial Guinea: 4.98× the economy | $12.82B2025 | $2.57B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Equatorial Guinea: 5.07× the output per person | $16,133#106 of 184 · 2025 | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLesotho: 7.8 points higher | −5.8%#186 of 187 · 2025 | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLesotho: 1.4 points higher | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 1.96× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLesotho: 4.76× the share in extreme poverty | 8.8%#47 of 149 · 2022 | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 6.4 higher | 38.5#47 of 149 · 2022 | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureEquatorial Guinea: 24.4 points higher | 55.3% of jobs#17 of 178 · 2025 | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 23.1 points higher | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesLesotho: 1.4 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#157 of 178 · 2025 | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentEquatorial Guinea: 1.0 points higher | 2.3% of GDP#84 of 184 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLesotho: 3.0 points higher | 46.5% of GDP#53 of 168 · 2025 | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingLesotho: 1.81× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#120 of 155 · 2025 | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersEquatorial Guinea: 1.22× the share online | 63%#132 of 184 · 2024 | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLesotho: 1.4× the mobile subscriptions | 50 per 100#182 of 191 · 2022 | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaEquatorial Guinea: 78.3× the forest share | 86% of land#7 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personEquatorial Guinea: 5.93× the CO₂ per person | 2.55 t a year#92 of 185 · 2024 | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLesotho: 30.7 points higher | 4.2%#159 of 190 · 2022 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityEquatorial Guinea: 4.5 points higher | 65.1%#159 of 192 · 2024 | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Equatorial Guinea: 1.6× the air pollution | 42.2 µg/m³#20 of 191 · 2023 | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 4.4 points higher | 19.0% of land#87 of 191 · 2025 | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLesotho: 17.1 points higher | 1.9% of land#163 of 190 · 2024 | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressLesotho: 13× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationEquatorial Guinea: 2.74× the rain and snow | 2,156 mm#26 of 180 · 2022 | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLesotho: 0.14 higher | −0.15#114 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLesotho: 1.21 higher | −1.48#181 of 193 · 2025 | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Malabo | Maseru |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) |
| Official languages | French, Spanish, Portuguese | English, Sesotho |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +240 | +266 |
| Region | Middle 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. Equatorial Guinea sits at about 2° N 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 Equatorial Guinea bigger than Lesotho?
- No. Equatorial Guinea is 8% smaller than Lesotho. Equatorial Guinea covers 28,051 km² and Lesotho covers 30,355 km².
- How many times does Equatorial Guinea fit into Lesotho?
- About 1.1 times: Lesotho has 1.08× the area of Equatorial Guinea.
- Why do Equatorial Guinea and Lesotho look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Equatorial Guinea 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, Equatorial Guinea or Lesotho?
- Lesotho: 2,363,325 people against 1,938,431. Density: Equatorial Guinea 69 per km², Lesotho 78 per km².
- Which is richer, Equatorial Guinea or Lesotho?
- By gross national income per person, Equatorial Guinea: $5,890 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Equatorial Guinea or Lesotho?
- In Equatorial Guinea: life expectancy at birth is 63.9 years, against 57.8 — 6.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Equatorial Guinea and Lesotho have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Equatorial Guinea: presidential republic; Lesotho: constitutional monarchy.