Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Laos, you would:
Health
be 39.2% less likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
see 43.6% more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Laos, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
have 72.8% fewer doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
be 89.5% more likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 9.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
be 82.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 15.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
make 51.7% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
have 34.1% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.0 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 33.8% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.7% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 36.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Laos, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.7 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.9 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 77.9% less home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
use 95.4% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.2% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 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. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.