Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Cook Islands, you would:

Health

be 87.3% less likely to be obese

In Cook Islands, 72.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 13.0% more access to essential health services

Cook Islands scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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live 7.9 years less

In Cook Islands, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 75.4% fewer doctors per person

Cook Islands has 13.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

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Life

have 73.0% more children

In Cook Islands, there are approximately 12.1 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 70.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Cook Islands, approximately 15.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 73.3% less on education

Cook Islands spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 58.4% less on healthcare

Cook Islands spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 85.1% less home broadband

Cook Islands has 18.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2024), The World Factbook (2020–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Cook Islands vs. Laos

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Laos is 13.6% cheaper than Cook Islands overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Cook Islands is about 1,003 times smaller than Laos.
→
Moving from Cook Islands to Laos · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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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How big is Laos compared to Cook Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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