Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 4.6 times more doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 23.1% more access to essential health services
Laos scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 87.1% less likely to die by suicide
Laos has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 11.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 54.5% less money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 82.1% less 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.8% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Syria, it is 94.4% as of 2021.
be 34.9% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
have 10.7% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.0% less likely to have internet access
In Laos, approximately 65.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 82.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 26.0 times more strain on fresh water
Laos withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 48.7% less electricity
Laos uses 1,665 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 62.1% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 20.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Laos vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.