Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Mauritania, you would:
Health
be 61.9% less likely to be obese
In Mauritania, 24.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 26.8% more doctors per person
Mauritania has 2.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 30.0% more access to essential health services
Mauritania scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
see 59.1% less spent on your healthcare
Mauritania spends $302 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
be 69.0% more likely to die by suicide
Mauritania has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Mauritania, 10.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 70.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mauritania, approximately 381.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.9% more likely to be literate
In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
have 38.5% fewer children
In Mauritania, there are approximately 34.0 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 91.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mauritania, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 1% 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 43.3% more likely to have internet access
In Mauritania, approximately 45.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 24.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Mauritania, approximately 77% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 59% 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 83.8% less on education
Mauritania spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 69.4% less on healthcare
Mauritania spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 72.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mauritania, road accidents kill 9.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Mauritania has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 63.8% less strain on fresh water
Mauritania withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mauritania, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Mauritania emits 1.0 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mauritania vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.