Lesotho vs United States
United States is 324 times larger than Lesotho. Lesotho would fit into United States about 324 times.
LesothoUnited StatesLesotho moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.0×
Lesotho is 0.0× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 324× the size of Lesotho.
 Lesotho |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 324× the area | 30,355 km²#138 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 145× the population | 2,363,325#142 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityLesotho: 2.24× the density | 78 / km²#107 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 1.79× the urban share | 45%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateLesotho: 1.63× the births per woman | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthLesotho: 0.58 points higher | +1.10%#92 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateLesotho: 2.25× the birth rate | 23.8 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateLesotho: 1.17× the death rate | 10.5 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Lesotho: 17.0 points higher | 34.1%#53 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 14.5 points higher | 3.9%#144 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 5.8 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 21.1 years longer | 57.8 years#188 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityLesotho: 10.2× the infant mortality | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 15.3× the doctors per person | 0.24 per 1,000#143 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.388 higher | 0.550#164 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 69.4× the income per person | $1,280#162 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 11,954× the economy | $2.57B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 28.3× the output per person | $3,184#169 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 0.2 points higher | +2.0%#132 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationLesotho: 1.4 points higher | +4.3%#50 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentLesotho: 3.88× the unemployment | 16.3%#13 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyLesotho: 38.1× the share in extreme poverty | 41.9%#16 of 149 · 2017 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Lesotho: 3.1 higher | 44.9#16 of 149 · 2017 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureLesotho: 29.4 points higher | 30.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryLesotho: 14.1 points higher | 33.0% of jobs#9 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 43.5 points higher | 36.1% of jobs#155 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentLesotho: 0.3 points higher | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsLesotho: 38.5 points higher | 49.5% of GDP#47 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 1.91× the military spending | 1.6% of GDP#80 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 1.83× the share online | 52%#143 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.61× the mobile subscriptions | 70 per 100#161 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 30.7× the forest share | 1% of land#178 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 31.7× the CO₂ per person | 0.43 t a year#153 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyLesotho: 24.0 points higher | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 39.4 points higher | 60.6%#164 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Lesotho: 3.77× the air pollution | 26.4 µg/m³#58 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landLesotho: 10.5 points higher | 23.4% of land#56 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landLesotho: 2.4 points higher | 19.0% of land#57 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 10.8× the water stress | 2.6%#141 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationLesotho: 1.1× the rain and snow | 788 mm#106 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityLesotho: 0.29 higher | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.14 higher | −0.27#97 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Maseru | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR), Loti (LSL) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English, Sesotho | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +266 | +1 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Lesotho is 324 times smaller than United States. Lesotho covers 30,355 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Lesotho fit into United States?
- About 324 times: United States has 324× the area of Lesotho.
- Why do Lesotho and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 2,363,325. Density: Lesotho 78 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Lesotho or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $1,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 69.4× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Lesotho or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 57.8 — 21.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Lesotho and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Lesotho: constitutional monarchy; United States: presidential republic.