Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
be 70.2% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.7 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 89.5% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 86.4% fewer doctors per person
Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 32.5% less access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 13.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 79.0% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 18.8% more children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.6% less likely to be literate
In Dominican Republic, the literacy rate is 94.0% as of 2024. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 27.9% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 67.3% less on education
Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 71.1% less on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 87.9% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 75.7% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 10.9% less electricity
Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 12.0% more CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Dominican Republic vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.