Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 55.4% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 26.8% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
see 62.6% less spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
be 27.2% more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 91.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 5.6 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 43.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
have 40.2% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 18.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.6% less on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 91.1% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 32.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.0 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 91.3% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.0 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.