Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 73.7% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.9 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 82.1% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 25.7% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 76.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 26.7% less money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 86.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 57.1% less on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 84.0% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 20.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.6 times more electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
find 52.9% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 81.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.0 times more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.