Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Chad, you would:
Health
live 14.0 years longer
In Chad, the average life expectancy is 55 years (53 years for men, 57 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 3.9 times more doctors per person
Chad has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 79.3% more access to essential health services
Chad scores 29 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 12.1% less likely to die by suicide
Chad has a suicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.1% more likely to be obese
In Chad, 7.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 66.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Chad, 44.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 2.3 times more money
Chad has a GDP per capita of $1,022 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
be 12.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Chad, 1.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 85.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Chad, approximately 748.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to be literate
In Chad, the literacy rate is 26.8% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 51.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Chad, approximately 56.3 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 51.6% fewer children
In Chad, there are approximately 43.3 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 8.0 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Chad, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (48% in urban areas, and 0% 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 5.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Chad, approximately 12.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 83.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Chad, approximately 52% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 44% 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 61.6% less on education
Chad spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.4% less on healthcare
Chad spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 37.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Chad, road accidents kill 26.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 121.3 times more electricity
Chad uses 14 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
live with 11.7% more strain on fresh water
Chad withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 27.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Chad, air pollution causes 95.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.9 times more CO2
Chad emits 0.1 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Chad vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Chad? See an in-depth size comparison.