Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Guyana, you would:
Health
be 75.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
be 69.5% less likely to be obese
In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 81.5% less likely to die by suicide
Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.1 years less
In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 90.7% less spent on your healthcare
Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 76.1% fewer doctors per person
Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 31.6% less access to essential health services
Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 92.8% less money
Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 49.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Guyana, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.8% less likely to be literate
In Guyana, the literacy rate is 88.8% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 17.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 21.0% less likely to have internet access
In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.2% less on healthcare
Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 79.0% less home broadband
Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 45.2% more strain on fresh water
Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 26.5% less CO2
Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 32.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guyana vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Guyana? See an in-depth size comparison.