Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 73.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 3.5 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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 36.9% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 24.4% more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
be 13.9% less likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 47.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
Economy
be 60.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 28.6% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 52.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
have 19.3% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.7% less on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 54.9% less on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.1 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 24.1% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 2.9 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 22.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.8 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 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: Ghana vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.