Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 6.3 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.
be 26.4% more likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 85.9% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,800 as of 2020, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $1,100 as of 2020.
be 3.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 63.0% as of 2014.
Life
have 91.8% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 185.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 473.0 women do as of 2017.
be 61.1% more 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 60.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 90.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 95% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 9% of people on average (19% in urban areas, and 0% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 58.8% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 14.0% do as of 2020.
be 33.1% less 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 Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 59% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 48.3% less on education
Laos spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2014. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 1.5% of total GDP on education as of 2017.
spend 34.6% more on healthcare
Laos spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.5% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.