Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 97.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
be 53.6% less likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 45.1% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 90.6% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 12.7% fewer doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 95.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 70.1% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Botswana, approximately 32.1 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.
have 14.1% fewer children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 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 27.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% 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 14.1% more likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 84.7% less on education
Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 78.8% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 63.4% less home broadband
Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Botswana withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 25.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.3% more CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.