Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Papua New Guinea, you would:
Health
be 73.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Papua New Guinea, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years longer
In Papua New Guinea, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 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 67.2% less likely to be obese
In Papua New Guinea, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
have 5.4 times more doctors per person
Papua New Guinea has 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 73.3% more access to essential health services
Papua New Guinea scores 30 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Papua New Guinea has a suicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Papua New Guinea, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 23.0% less money
Papua New Guinea has a GDP per capita of $3,020 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 40.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 189.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 31.3 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.
be 13.1% less likely to be literate
In Papua New Guinea, the literacy rate is 87.0% as of 2022. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
have 13.8% fewer children
In Papua New Guinea, there are approximately 24.3 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 4.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 13% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 18.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 79.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Papua New Guinea, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 48% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 96% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.7% less on healthcare
Papua New Guinea spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 57.7% more on education
Papua New Guinea spends 0.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Papua New Guinea, road accidents kill 14.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.8 times more home broadband
Papua New Guinea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
live with 36.8 times more strain on fresh water
Papua New Guinea withdraws 0% 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 Papua New Guinea, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.4 times more CO2
Papua New Guinea emits 0.5 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: Papua New Guinea vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Papua New Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.