Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
be 17.2% less likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 6.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
live 4.2 years less
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (71 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
be 78.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Bhutan, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Laos, that number is 0.7% as of 2017.
make 28.4% less money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $10,900 as of 2020, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,800 as of 2020.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Bhutan, 8.2% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
Life
be 27.2% more likely to be literate
In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 66.6% as of 2017. In Laos, it is 84.7% as of 2015.
have 31.1% more children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 39.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 27.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 37.0% less likely to have internet access
In Bhutan, approximately 54.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Laos, about 34.0% do as of 2020.
be 11.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 89% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 58.0% less on education
Bhutan spends 6.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Laos spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
spend 27.8% less on healthcare
Bhutan spends 3.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.