Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 85.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 0.7 years longer
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 59.5% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 37.3% less likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 81.7% less spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 36.5% fewer doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 94.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 71.9% less money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.9% less likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
have 22.9% fewer children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.0% less on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 57.5% less on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 62.7% more electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
find 42.0% less home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 9.6 times more strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 30.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 63.4% more CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.