Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 54.5% less likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
be 65.3% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 13.9 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 98.7% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 93.3% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 40.2% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 23.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 97.5% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 112.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 33.7% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 77.3% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 85.9% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 94.0% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 93.0% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.3% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Norway vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.