The Model Index
World/Africa
AI access, cost and use · Southern Africa · Africa · data read 1 Oct 2026

Lesotho

In Lesotho, a $20-a-month AI plan costs 44% of the median living standard, 56 times the share it takes in the United States; for 96% of people it is over a tenth of what they live on. Claude, OpenAI's API and Gemini are all officially offered. 52% of people use the internet.

44%of the median living standard for a $20 planAfrica median 38% · United States 0.79%
96%of people for whom the plan is over a tenth of their living standardabout 2.3 m people
3of 3leading services officially offeredClaude · OpenAI · Gemini
52%of people use the internetworld 74% · 2.4 m people

The figuresLesotho

People2.4 m
Median living standard$541a year per person · consumption
A $20 plan takes44%of that · 56× the US share
For whom it is over a tenth96%of people
Survey2017revalued at 2025 prices
GNI per person$1,280plan is 19% of it
Claude use per personnot reported
Notable AI models built here0

Officially offered here3 of 3

Run it yourself →
Claude · claude.ai appYes
OpenAI · APIYes
Gemini · web appYes

From each lab's own published list: Anthropic's Claude.ai countries, OpenAI's API countries and Google's Gemini web app countries. Not listed means not officially served; open-weight models can be run anywhere.

Against Africa and the worldregional figures are medians or population-weighted

MeasureLesothoAfricaWorld
A $20 plan ÷ median living standard44%38%9.9%
People for whom it is over a tenth96%96%63%
Plan price ÷ GNI per person19%14%2.9%
People using the internet52%40%74%
Claude use per working-age personnot reported0.24×1.00×
Notable AI models built001,256

NeighboursSouthern Africa · lightest burden first

CountryPeopleOnline$20 plan ÷ median living standardOver a tenthClaude use per personOfficial lists
South Africa65 m78%19%73%0.46×3 of 3
Namibia3.1 m65%22%76%0.44×3 of 3
Botswana2.6 m57%24%79%0.52×3 of 3
Lesotho2.4 m52%44%96%not reported3 of 3
Eswatini1.3 m63%no estimate–not reported3 of 3
All countries →

The foundationsLesotho against the world

World Bank ↗
People using the internet
52%world 74%
People with electricity
61%world 92%
Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
70world 112
Fixed broadband lines per 100 people
0.4world 20.1
Enrolled in university-level education
10%world 44%
Research spending, share of GDP
0.09%world 2.6%
Researchers per million people
32world 1,652
Secure internet servers per million people
86world 16,381

The latest World Bank figure for each measure. The tick marks the world figure.

A $20-a-month plan ($240 a year, US list price) against the median household living standard per person in each country. The median is from the latest national household survey (World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform), revalued from 2021 purchasing-power dollars into US dollars at recent prices and official exchange rates, assuming real living standards have not changed since the survey. Some surveys measure income and others consumption, which includes food people grow and housing they own, so this is a living standard, not cash to spare. Countries with no survey since 2015 or no defensible exchange rate are left blank.

World Bank household surveys ↗Anthropic countries ↗OpenAI countries ↗Gemini countries ↗Anthropic Economic Index ↗Epoch AI notable models ↗