Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Laos instead of Greenland, you would:

Health

be 67.3% less likely to be obese

In Greenland, 28.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 1.0 years less

In Greenland, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 96.0% less money

Greenland has a GDP per capita of $58,499 as of 2023, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 74.4% more children

In Greenland, there are approximately 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Greenland, approximately 8.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.

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Infrastructure

find 91.5% less home broadband

Greenland has 32.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 67.9% less CO2

Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Greenland vs. Laos

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Laos is 53.8% cheaper than Greenland overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Greenland is about 9 times bigger than Laos.
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Moving from Greenland to Laos · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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How big is Laos compared to Greenland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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