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

Health

live 14.1 years longer

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Macau, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 32.6 times more money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $75,902 as of 2025.

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be 97.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Macau, that number is 2.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 28.4% more likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Macau, it is 97.1% as of 2021.

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be 83.1% 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 Macau, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2022.

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have 74.7% fewer children

In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macau, there are 5.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 37.0% more likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Macau, about 89.8% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.8 times more on education

Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Macau spends 3.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 11.0 times more home broadband

Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Macau has 29.9 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 24.5% less CO2

Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Macau emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). How we calculate this

Macau: At a glance

Macau is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 28 sq km. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Macau compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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