Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Laos, you would:
Health
see 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 57.4% more doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
be 7.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Laos, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
live 0.7 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
be 59.4% more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gabon, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.6 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 16.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 17.5% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
have 29.6% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 88.6% more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.4% more home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 89.6% less strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 38.5% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Gabon uses 1,023 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 23.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.8% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.