Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Marshall Islands, you would:
Health
live 2.1 years longer
In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.1% less likely to be obese
In Marshall Islands, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 85.9% less spent on your healthcare
Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 72.6% less money
Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 27.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.0% less likely to be literate
In Marshall Islands, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 19.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 84.0% less on education
Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 90.1% less on healthcare
Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 37.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.7% more home broadband
Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Marshall Islands vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.