Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cambodia instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 1.6 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
be 46.4% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cambodia spends $350 as of 2023.
have 11.5% more access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cambodia scores 58 as of 2021.
have 36.3% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cambodia has 2.1 as of 2019.
Economy
be 78.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cambodia, that number is 0.3% as of 2025.
make 23.6% more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Cambodia, the GDP per capita is $2,872 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 27.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Cambodia, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
be 22.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Cambodia, 137.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 13.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cambodia, that number is 83% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 77.2% more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cambodia spends 2.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.5 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cambodia, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 14.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cambodia, they kill 18.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 52.6% more home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Cambodia has 4.2 as of 2024.
live with 78.3% less strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cambodia withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 44.0% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cambodia uses 932 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cambodia, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.
emit 67.2% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Cambodia
Cambodia: At a glance
How big is Cambodia compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.