Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
live 5.4 years longer
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 96.1% more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 92.4% more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 48.6% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 24.8% less likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 60.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 80.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 3.9 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 74.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Madagascar, approximately 43.0 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.
have 34.0% fewer children
In Madagascar, there are approximately 31.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.4 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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.
be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 73.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 59.7% less on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 61.2% less on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.7 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 57.5% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 20.8 times more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 19.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.3 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 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: Madagascar vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.