Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Nauru, you would:
Health
live 6.9 years longer
In Nauru, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 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 87.1% less likely to be obese
In Nauru, 71.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 95.0% less spent on your healthcare
Nauru spends $2,474 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 13.3% less access to essential health services
Nauru scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 84.1% less money
Nauru has a GDP per capita of $14,640 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 59.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nauru, approximately 273.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.7% less likely to be literate
In Nauru, the literacy rate is 96.6% as of 2023. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Nauru, approximately 7.7 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.
have 14.8% fewer children
In Nauru, there are approximately 24.6 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 21.0% less likely to have internet access
In Nauru, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 78.7% less on education
Nauru spends 5.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 92.7% less on healthcare
Nauru spends 18.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Nauru, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 72.7% less home broadband
Nauru has 10.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nauru vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Nauru? See an in-depth size comparison.