Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
be 71.9% less likely to be obese
In Costa Rica, 32.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 43.2% less likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.8 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 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 93.6% less spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 87.7% fewer doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 35.8% less access to essential health services
Costa Rica scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Costa Rica, 6.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 12.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Costa Rica, 17.1% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 88.4% less money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Costa Rica, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.8% less likely to be literate
In Costa Rica, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 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.
Basic Needs
be 24.8% less likely to have internet access
In Costa Rica, approximately 87.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 76.8% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.6% less on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 18.5% less strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 88.3% less home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 27.1% less electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Costa Rica, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 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: Costa Rica vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.