If you lived in Laos instead of Belize, you would:

Health

be 66.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Belize, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.

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be 78.9% less likely to be obese

In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.5 years less

In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 78.5% less spent on your healthcare

Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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have 23.5% less access to essential health services

Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 86.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Belize, 8.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 70.4% less money

Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 16.0% more children

In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 67.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Belize, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 13.9% less likely to be literate

In Belize, the literacy rate is 87.9% as of 2022. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belize, approximately 10.8 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.

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Basic Needs

be 18.0% less likely to have internet access

In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 73.4% less on education

Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 68.0% less on healthcare

Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 72.1% less home broadband

Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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live with 3.8 times more strain on fresh water

Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.6 times more CO2

Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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