Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Tonga instead of Laos, you would:
Health
live 3.8 years longer
In Laos, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Laos spends $123 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tonga spends $512 as of 2023.
have 3.1 times more doctors per person
Laos has 3.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Tonga has 10.1 as of 2021.
be 8.0 times more likely to be obese
In Laos, 9.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Tonga, that number is 73.8% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.8 times more money
Laos has a GDP per capita of $2,325 as of 2025, while in Tonga, the GDP per capita is $6,547 as of 2025.
be 68.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Laos, 1.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tonga, that number is 2.0% as of 2025.
be 37.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Laos, 15.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Tonga, however, that number is 20.6% as of 2021.
Life
be 40.2% 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 Tonga, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.5% more likely to be literate
In Laos, the literacy rate is 75.6% as of 2023. In Tonga, it is 99.5% as of 2023.
be 71.3% 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 Tonga, on the other hand, 7.8 children do as of 2024.
have 10.1% more children
In Laos, there are approximately 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tonga, there are 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.3 times more on education
Laos spends 1.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tonga spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 5.5 times more on healthcare
Laos spends 1.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tonga, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Laos, road accidents kill 16.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tonga, they kill 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Laos has 2.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Tonga has 8.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 65.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Laos, air pollution causes 69.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tonga, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
emit 51.3% less CO2
Laos emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tonga emits 1.6 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. Tonga
Tonga: At a glance
How big is Tonga compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.