Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Spain instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 14.4 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.
be 4.5 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 5.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Spain, that number is 23.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 5.6 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $8,600 as of 2024, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $48,400 as of 2024.
be 8.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 11.4% as of 2024.
be 10.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.
pay a 87.5% higher top tax rate
Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Spain, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 97.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Laos, approximately 112.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2023. In Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.9% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Spain, it is 99.7% as of 2021.
be 93.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Laos, approximately 37.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Spain, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 62.7% fewer children
In Laos, there are approximately 19.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025. In Spain, there are 7.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 48.4% more likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 64.0% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Spain, about 95.0% do as of 2023.
be 16.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Laos, approximately 86% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Spain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 100.0% more on education
Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.0 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Spain, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Agencia Tributaria, Spain.
Spain: At a glance
How big is Spain compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.