Lesotho vs South Africa: New infections of HIV per 1,000 people
Lesotho
3.09 infections per 1,000 people
in 2024
South Africa
5.25 infections per 1,000 people
in 2024
Lesotho rank
4th
South Africa rank
2nd
New infections of HIV per 1,000 people over time
- Lesotho
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 5.25 infections per 1,000 people against 3.09 infections per 1,000 people in Lesotho, a difference of 2.16 infections per 1,000 people.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.7 times Lesotho's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Lesotho ahead.
Lesotho ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 2nd of 144 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Lesotho averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Lesotho | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 31.74 infections per 1,000 people | 17.23 infections per 1,000 people | 14.5 infections per 1,000 people | Lesotho |
| 2000s | 28.06 infections per 1,000 people | 17.52 infections per 1,000 people | 10.54 infections per 1,000 people | Lesotho |
| 2010s | 15.95 infections per 1,000 people | 10.32 infections per 1,000 people | 5.63 infections per 1,000 people | Lesotho |
| 2020s | 4.46 infections per 1,000 people | 5.96 infections per 1,000 people | 1.5 infections per 1,000 people | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher new infections of hiv per 1,000 people, Lesotho or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 5.25 infections per 1,000 people against 3.09 infections per 1,000 people in Lesotho as of 2024.
- What is the difference in new infections of hiv per 1,000 people between Lesotho and South Africa?
- 2.16 infections per 1,000 people, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Lesotho and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Lesotho and South Africa rank globally for new infections of hiv per 1,000 people?
- Lesotho ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 2nd of 144 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as New infections of HIV per 1,000 people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people aged 15-49 newly infected with HIV in the last year per 1,000 uninfected people. This is the central estimate.