Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
be 75.2% less likely to be obese
In Brunei, 37.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.3 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 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 93.5% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 82.4% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 33.3% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 50.2% more likely to die by suicide
Brunei has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 77.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 92.8% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 57.0% more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.5% less likely to be literate
In Brunei, the literacy rate is 97.6% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 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 31.9% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 40.4% less on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 87.2% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 38.0% more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 84.4% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 83.4% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.