Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 84.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 5.2 years longer
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 42.8% less likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Cameroon has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 18.2% more access to essential health services
Cameroon scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 46.1% less likely to die by suicide
Cameroon has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 49.9% less spent on your healthcare
Cameroon spends $246 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
Economy
be 66.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Cameroon, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 60.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 17.9% more money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 56.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cameroon, approximately 258.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Cameroon, approximately 40.2 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 37.2% fewer children
In Cameroon, there are approximately 33.3 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 34.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% 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 41.8% more likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 34.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% 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 56.7% less on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 70.8% less on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 54.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 27.7% more home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 7.4 times more electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
live with 3.1 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.6 times more CO2
Cameroon 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.