If you lived in Laos instead of Libya, you would:

Health

be 72.7% less likely to be obese

In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 1.9 years less

In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 88.3% less spent on your healthcare

Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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have 16.1% less access to essential health services

Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 93.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 64.0% less money

Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 26.8% more children

In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 89.8% more likely to die during childbirth

In Libya, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Libya, approximately 7.9 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.

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Basic Needs

be 31.8% more likely to have access to electricity

In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 20.0% less likely to have internet access

In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 83.0% less on healthcare

Libya spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 51.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water

Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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find 39.8% less home broadband

Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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use 56.1% less electricity

Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 61.3% less CO2

Libya emits 8.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 27.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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