Lesotho vs Solomon Islands
Lesotho is 7% larger than Solomon Islands.
LesothoSolomon IslandsLesotho moved onto Solomon Islands · Equal-area projection
1.07×
Lesotho is 1.07× the area of Solomon Islands.
 Lesotho |  Solomon Islands | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaLesotho: 1.07× the area | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 | 28,400 km²#141 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationLesotho: 2.82× the population | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 | 838,645#160 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLesotho: 2.64× the density | 78 / km²#107 of 194 | 30 / km²#152 of 194 |
| Urban populationLesotho: 1.43× the urban share | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 31%#169 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSolomon Islands: 1.32× the births per woman | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 | 3.51 per woman#44 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSolomon Islands: 1.25 points higher | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 | +2.35%#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSolomon Islands: 1.12× the birth rate | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 | 26.7 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 2.06× the death rate | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 5.1 per 1,000#168 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Solomon Islands: 2.5 points higher | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 | 36.6%#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Lesotho: 0.2 points higher | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 | 3.7%#149 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSolomon Islands: 4.1 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +1.9 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSolomon Islands: 9.0× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySolomon Islands: 12.9 years longer | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 | 70.7 years#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 3.43× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 16.4 per 1,000 births#75 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexSolomon Islands: 0.034 higher | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 | 0.584#153 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSolomon Islands: 1.58× the income per person | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 | $2,020#149 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPLesotho: 1.47× the economy | $2.57B2025 | $1.75B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Lesotho: 1.14× the output per person | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 | $2,788#173 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSolomon Islands: 1.6 points higher | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 | +3.6%#83 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLesotho: 0.9 points higher | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 | +3.4%#78 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 11.6× the unemployment | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 | 1.4%#170 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureSolomon Islands: 11.6 points higher | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 | 42.5% of jobs#35 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 25.4 points higher | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 | 7.6% of jobs#167 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSolomon Islands: 13.9 points higher | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 | 50.0% of jobs#120 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSolomon Islands: 2.5 points higher | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 | 3.8% of GDP#51 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLesotho: 8.9 points higher | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 | 40.6% of GDP#69 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spending | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet usersLesotho: 1.79× the share online | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 | 29%#167 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsLesotho: 1.13× the mobile subscriptions | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 | 62 per 100#171 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSolomon Islands: 81.6× the forest share | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 | 90% of land#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personLesotho: 1.13× the CO₂ per person | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 | 0.38 t a year#155 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySolomon Islands: 15.2 points higher | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 | 50.1%#49 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricitySolomon Islands: 20.9 points higher | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 | 81.5%#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Lesotho: 2.69× the air pollution | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 | 9.8 µg/m³#156 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 21.0 points higher | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 | 2.4% of land#178 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLesotho: 18.2 points higher | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 | 0.8% of land#173 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| PrecipitationSolomon Islands: 3.84× the rain and snow | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 | 3,028 mm#4 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySolomon Islands: 0.76 higher | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 | +0.75#53 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSolomon Islands: 0.11 higher | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 | −0.16#90 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Maseru | Honiara |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) | Solomon Islands dollar (SBD) |
| Official languages | English, Sesotho | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+11 |
| Calling code | +266 | +677 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Melanesia, Oceania |
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; Solomon Islands at 9° S is stretched to 1.02×. 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 Lesotho bigger than Solomon Islands?
- Yes. Lesotho is 7% larger than Solomon Islands. Lesotho covers 30,355 km² and Solomon Islands covers 28,400 km².
- How many times does Solomon Islands fit into Lesotho?
- About 1.1 times: Lesotho has 1.07× the area of Solomon Islands.
- Why do Lesotho and Solomon Islands 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 Solomon Islands about 1.02×. 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, Lesotho or Solomon Islands?
- Lesotho: 2,363,325 people against 838,645. Density: Lesotho 78 per km², Solomon Islands 30 per km².
- Which is richer, Lesotho or Solomon Islands?
- By gross national income per person, Solomon Islands: $2,020 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.58× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Lesotho or Solomon Islands?
- In Solomon Islands: life expectancy at birth is 70.7 years, against 57.8 — 12.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Lesotho and Solomon Islands have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: constitutional monarchy (CIA World Factbook).