Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of Laos, you would:
Health
be 52.8% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
see 29.8% less spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 73.4% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 13.5% less access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 37.2% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 43.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 59.5% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 2.8 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 93.8% less home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 92.6% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.4% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 13.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.