Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
be 48.6% less likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 12.1 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 94.6% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 85.2% fewer doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 14.8% less access to essential health services
Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 84.1% less money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 97.6% more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.7% less likely to be literate
In Maldives, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 23.1% less likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 76.2% less on education
Maldives spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 85.6% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 69.4% less strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
find 86.2% less home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.