Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 62.6% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 88.4% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 81.7% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 29.7% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 12.5% more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 40.8% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 66.5% more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.9% less likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 23.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.4% less on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 77.9% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 20.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.1% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 77.4% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 56.4% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 63.0% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 35.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.