Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 69.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 3.2 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 25.9% less likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 30.9% more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 3.7 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 13.0% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 2.5 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 68.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.5% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 16.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 29.9% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 44.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 32.5% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 10.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.2% less on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.0% less on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 25.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.2 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 23.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.6 times more CO2
Gambia 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.