Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 77.3% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 15.4 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 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.
see 95.2% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 85.4% fewer doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 33.3% less access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 98.3% more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 92.8% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 14.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.6% less likely to be literate
In Kuwait, the literacy rate is 96.5% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 34.4% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 80.9% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.2% less on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 89.9% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 85.8% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 53.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.