Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Estonia, you would:
Health
be 54.8% less likely to be obese
In Estonia, 20.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 69.3% less likely to die by suicide
Estonia has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.1 years less
In Estonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (75 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 96.7% less spent on your healthcare
Estonia spends $3,741 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 90.5% fewer doctors per person
Estonia has 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 34.2% less access to essential health services
Estonia scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Estonia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 33.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Estonia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 93.2% less money
Estonia has a GDP per capita of $34,418 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.9 times more children
In Estonia, there are approximately 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Estonia, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.3% less likely to be literate
In Estonia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 18.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Estonia, approximately 1.5 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 28.9% less likely to have internet access
In Estonia, approximately 92.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 76.4% less on education
Estonia spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 83.0% less on healthcare
Estonia spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Estonia, road accidents kill 4.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 63.3% less strain on fresh water
Estonia withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 92.3% less home broadband
Estonia has 35.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 68.6% less electricity
Estonia uses 5,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 56.8% less CO2
Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Estonia, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
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: Estonia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Estonia? See an in-depth size comparison.