Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 58.9% less likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 69.9% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.2 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.9% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 90.3% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 30.7% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 33.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 91.2% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.3% less likely to be literate
In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 12.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Laos, on the other hand, 27.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.3% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 71.5% less on education
Latvia spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 81.7% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 67.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.4% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 4.7 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 55.8% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 72.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.