Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Palau, you would:
Health
be 77.3% less likely to be obese
In Palau, 40.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 93.4% less spent on your healthcare
Palau spends $1,857 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 81.7% fewer doctors per person
Palau has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 20.0% less access to essential health services
Palau scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 88.1% less money
Palau has a GDP per capita of $19,532 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 95.8% more children
In Palau, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Palau, approximately 89.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.2% less likely to be literate
In Palau, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 46.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Palau, approximately 18.6 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 21.9% less likely to have internet access
In Palau, approximately 83.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.2% less on education
Palau spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 87.7% less on healthcare
Palau spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Palau, road accidents kill 22.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 62.9% less home broadband
Palau has 7.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.0% less CO2
Palau emits 82.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Palau vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Palau? See an in-depth size comparison.