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

Health

be 69.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guinea, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.

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live 8.3 years longer

In Guinea, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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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be 13.5% less likely to be obese

In Guinea, 10.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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have 57.6% more doctors per person

Guinea has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

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have 30.0% more access to essential health services

Guinea scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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see 27.0% less spent on your healthcare

Guinea spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 76.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Guinea, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 23.8% more money

Guinea has a GDP per capita of $1,877 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

be 77.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea, approximately 494.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 67.0% more likely to be literate

In Guinea, the literacy rate is 45.3% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.

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be 54.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Guinea, approximately 59.8 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.

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have 37.2% fewer children

In Guinea, there are approximately 33.3 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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Basic Needs

be 88.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 26% 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.

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be 97.0% more likely to have internet access

In Guinea, approximately 33.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.

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be 29.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea, approximately 74% of people have access to drinking water (93% in urban areas, and 62% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 28.5% less on education

Guinea spends 1.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 64.0% less on healthcare

Guinea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 56.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea, road accidents kill 37.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 272.0 times more home broadband

Guinea has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water

Guinea withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 26.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guinea, air pollution causes 94.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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emit 9.6 times more CO2

Guinea emits 0.3 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

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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