Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 63.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
be 75.7% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
live 10.6 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 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 96.3% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 79.6% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 33.3% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 39.2% more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 30.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 88.3% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 31.9% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Panama, approximately 37.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.4% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Panama, approximately 12.0 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.
Expenditures
spend 50.2% less on education
Panama spends 2.5% 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
Panama 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 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.0% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 5.3 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 38.7% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 4.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.3% more CO2
Panama emits 2.7 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Panama vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.