Lesotho vs South Africa: Reduction in Human Development Index when adjusting for inequalities
Lesotho
35.1%
in 2023
South Africa
35.8%
in 2023
Lesotho rank
26th
South Africa rank
23rd
Reduction in Human Development Index when adjusting for inequalities over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 35.8% against 35.1% in Lesotho, a difference of 0.7%.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 12 shared years of data; in 2012 it was Lesotho ahead.
Lesotho ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 166 countries.
Across the 2 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 40.5% | 35.6% | 4.9% | Lesotho |
| 2020s | 35.2% | 35.5% | 0.3% | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher reduction in human development index when adjusting for inequalities, Lesotho or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 35.8% against 35.1% in Lesotho as of 2023.
- What is the difference in reduction in human development index when adjusting for inequalities between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 0.7%, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 12 years are reported by both, from 2012 to 2023.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for reduction in human development index when adjusting for inequalities?
- Lesotho ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Reduction in Human Development Index when adjusting for inequalities. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Percentage difference between the IHDI value and the HDI value.