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

Health

be 58.7% less likely to be obese

In Israel, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 14.0 years less

In Israel, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 96.9% less spent on your healthcare

Israel spends $4,033 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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have 91.3% fewer doctors per person

Israel has 38.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

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have 38.8% less access to essential health services

Israel scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 65.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Israel, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 96.1% less money

Israel has a GDP per capita of $60,337 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 12.5% more children

In Israel, there are approximately 18.6 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 56.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Israel, approximately 2.0 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 10.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Israel, approximately 2.7 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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Basic Needs

be 25.6% less likely to have internet access

In Israel, approximately 88.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 79.3% less on education

Israel spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 81.3% less on healthcare

Israel spends 7.1% 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 3.9 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Israel, road accidents kill 4.2 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 96.4% less strain on fresh water

Israel withdraws 132% of its available fresh water each year as of 2021. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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find 90.7% less home broadband

Israel has 29.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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use 76.8% less electricity

Israel uses 7,186 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 41.9% less CO2

Israel emits 5.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 4.6 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Israel, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), 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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