Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Laos, you would:
Health
see 8.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 67.1% more doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 21.2% more access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
be 22.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Laos, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.7 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 98.9% more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
be 87.6% more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.1 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 16.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 15.9% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.
have 23.7% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 24.1% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 33.8% more 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 41.2% 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 7.4 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 7.1 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 34.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.5% less strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 26.0% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 37.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 64.2% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 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. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.