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

Health

be 22.2% less likely to be obese

In Indonesia, 11.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.1 years less

In Indonesia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 73 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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see 70.4% less spent on your healthcare

Indonesia spends $417 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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have 36.8% fewer doctors per person

Indonesia has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

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be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide

Indonesia has a suicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 63.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Indonesia, 3.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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be 76.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Indonesia, 8.5% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.

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make 54.1% less money

Indonesia has a GDP per capita of $5,060 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

be 20.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Indonesia, approximately 140.0 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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have 32.8% more children

In Indonesia, there are approximately 15.8 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 21.2% less likely to be literate

In Indonesia, the literacy rate is 96.0% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.

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be 78.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Indonesia, approximately 15.2 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.

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Expenditures

spend 50.7% less on healthcare

Indonesia spends 2.7% 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 45.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Indonesia, road accidents kill 11.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 83.9% less strain on fresh water

Indonesia withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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use 15.2% more electricity

Indonesia uses 1,445 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.

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find 44.7% less home broadband

Indonesia has 4.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 19.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Indonesia, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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emit 16.7% more CO2

Indonesia emits 2.9 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 (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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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