Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Macedonia, you would:
Health
be 65.8% less likely to be obese
In Macedonia, 26.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 20.8% less likely to die by suicide
Macedonia has a suicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 7.4 years less
In Macedonia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 79 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 93.2% less spent on your healthcare
Macedonia spends $1,808 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 88.8% fewer doctors per person
Macedonia has 29.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 29.7% less access to essential health services
Macedonia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Macedonia, 12.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 31.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Macedonia, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 77.8% less money
Macedonia has a GDP per capita of $10,490 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Macedonia, there are approximately 8.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 37.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Macedonia, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.1% less likely to be literate
In Macedonia, the literacy rate is 98.4% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 10.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Macedonia, approximately 2.5 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 29.5% less likely to have internet access
In Macedonia, approximately 93.1% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 82.1% less on healthcare
Macedonia spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Macedonia, road accidents kill 5.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.9% less strain on fresh water
Macedonia withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 90.9% less home broadband
Macedonia has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
use 49.9% less electricity
Macedonia uses 3,320 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 16.2% less CO2
Macedonia emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 11.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Macedonia, air pollution causes 62.0 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 (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macedonia vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Macedonia? See an in-depth size comparison.