Lesotho vs Russia
Russia is 563 times larger than Lesotho. Lesotho would fit into Russia about 563 times.
LesothoRussiaLesotho moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.0×
Lesotho is 0.0× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 563× the size of Lesotho.
 Lesotho |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 563× the area | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 60.7× the population | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLesotho: 9.26× the density | 78 / km²#107 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.68× the urban share | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLesotho: 1.87× the births per woman | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLesotho: 1.21 points higher | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLesotho: 2.83× the birth rate | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.18× the death rate | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Lesotho: 17.1 points higher | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 13.9 points higher | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationRussia: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 69× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRussia: 15.6 years longer | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 13.7× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRussia: 21.3× the doctors per person | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRussia: 0.282 higher | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRussia: 12.5× the income per person | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRussia: 995× the economy | $2.57B2025 | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Russia: 15.6× the output per person | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthLesotho: 1.0 points higher | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationRussia: 4.4 points higher | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 7.76× the unemployment | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLesotho: 419× the share in extreme poverty | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 11.9 higher | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureLesotho: 25.8 points higher | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 7.2 points higher | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 33.0 points higher | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLesotho: 0.9 points higher | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLesotho: 31.3 points higher | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingRussia: 4.6× the military spending | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRussia: 1.82× the share online | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 2.66× the mobile subscriptions | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRussia: 46.2× the forest share | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 32.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLesotho: 31.4 points higher | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 39.4 points higher | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Lesotho: 2.28× the air pollution | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 11.9 points higher | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLesotho: 11.6 points higher | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRussia: 1.58× the water stress | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLesotho: 1.71× the rain and snow | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLesotho: 0.93 higher | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionLesotho: 0.71 higher | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Maseru | Moscow |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | English, Sesotho | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +266 | +7 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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. Lesotho sits at about 30° S and is stretched to 1.32× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to Lesotho. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Lesotho bigger than Russia?
- No. Lesotho is 563 times smaller than Russia. Lesotho covers 30,355 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does Lesotho fit into Russia?
- About 563 times: Russia has 563× the area of Lesotho.
- Why do Lesotho and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Lesotho is drawn about 1.32× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to Lesotho. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Lesotho or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 2,363,325. Density: Lesotho 78 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Which is richer, Lesotho or Russia?
- By gross national income per person, Russia: $15,960 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 12.5× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Lesotho or Russia?
- In Russia: life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years, against 57.8 — 15.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Lesotho and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Lesotho: constitutional monarchy; Russia: semi-presidential republic.