Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 6.1 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Belarus, that number is 74 years (69 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.6 times more likely to be obese

In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belarus, that number is 24.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.4 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,800 as of 2020, while in Belarus, the GDP per capita is $19,100 as of 2020.

be 72.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Belarus, however, that number is 5.0% as of 2019.

pay a 45.8% lower top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Belarus, the top tax rate is 13.0% as of 2017.

be 14.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 0.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Belarus, that number is 0.8% as of 2017.

Life

be 98.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 185.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Belarus, 2.0 women do as of 2017.

be 17.9% more likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 84.7% as of 2015. In Belarus, it is 99.9% as of 2019.

be 91.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Laos, approximately 37.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belarus, on the other hand, 3.3 children do as of 2022.

have 56.6% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Belarus, there are 9.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Belarus, about 85.0% do as of 2022.

be 12.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Belarus, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 72.4% more on education

Laos spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Belarus spends 5.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.3 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Belarus, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2019.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Ministry for Taxes and Levies of the Republic of Belarus.

Belarus: At a glance

Belarus is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 202,900 sq km. After seven decades as a constituent republic of the USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than have any of the other former Soviet republics. Belarus and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union on 8 December 1999 envisioning greater political and economic integration. Although Belarus agreed to a framework to carry out the accord, serious implementation has yet to take place. Since his election in July 1994 as the country's first directly elected president, Aleksandr LUKASHENKO has steadily consolidated his power through authoritarian means and a centralized economic system. Government restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, peaceful assembly, and religion remain in place.
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How big is Belarus compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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