Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
see 42.4% more spent on your healthcare
Eritrea spends $87 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 3.8 times more doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 15.6% more access to essential health services
Eritrea scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 65.4% less likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 80.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 61.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 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 27.1% fewer children
In Eritrea, there are approximately 28.7 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 77.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% 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 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.9% less on healthcare
Eritrea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 16.0 times more home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 57.2% less strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 13.5 times more electricity
Eritrea uses 123 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 11.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.2 times more CO2
Eritrea emits 0.2 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.