Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Laos, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.
be 58.3% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Laos, that number is 5.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 56.0% more money
Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $5,000 as of 2020, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $7,800 as of 2020.
be 93.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Laos, that number is 0.7% as of 2017.
be 41.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mauritania, 31.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Laos, however, that number is 18.3% as of 2018.
pay a 40.0% lower top tax rate
Mauritania has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Laos, the top tax rate is 24.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 75.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mauritania, approximately 766.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Laos, 185.0 women do as of 2017.
be 58.3% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 53.5% as of 2017. In Laos, it is 84.7% as of 2015.
be 25.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Laos, on the other hand, 37.8 children do as of 2022.
have 25.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 3.0 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Mauritania, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 95% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 17.1% less likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 41.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Laos, about 34.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 21.2% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Laos, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2019.
spend 52.6% more on education
Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Laos spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2014.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.