Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 60.1% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 66.8% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.0 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 81 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 95.2% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 96.5% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 37.3% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cuba, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.1% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cuba, approximately 6.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 85.4% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 85.8% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 80.0% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 13.9% more electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
find 11.7% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.4% more CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 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: Cuba vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.