Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Australia, you would:
Health
be 70.0% less likely to be obese
In Australia, 30.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 65.0% less likely to die by suicide
Australia has a suicide rate of 13.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 13.8 years less
In Australia, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.4% less spent on your healthcare
Australia spends $7,691 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 91.9% fewer doctors per person
Australia has 40.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 40.2% less access to essential health services
Australia scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Australia, 4.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 96.4% less money
Australia has a GDP per capita of $65,130 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 95.6% more children
In Australia, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 56.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Australia, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Australia, approximately 3.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 31.8% less likely to have internet access
In Australia, approximately 96.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.7% less on education
Australia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 87.2% less on healthcare
Australia spends 10.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Australia, road accidents kill 4.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.5% less home broadband
Australia has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 83.0% less electricity
Australia uses 9,801 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 76.2% less CO2
Australia emits 14.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Australia, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Australia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Australia? See an in-depth size comparison.