Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Philippines, you would:
Health
live 0.7 years less
In Philippines, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 78.0% less spent on your healthcare
Philippines spends $560 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
have 58.2% fewer doctors per person
Philippines has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 10.3% less access to essential health services
Philippines scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 31.2% more likely to die by suicide
Philippines has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Philippines, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
be 54.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Philippines, 9.7% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Laos, however, that number is 15.0% as of 2024.
make 44.3% less money
Philippines has a GDP per capita of $4,171 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
have 31.7% more children
In Philippines, 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 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Philippines, approximately 84.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.2% less likely to be literate
In Philippines, the literacy rate is 98.5% as of 2020. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 25.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Philippines, approximately 21.7 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 69.0% less on education
Philippines spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.9% less on healthcare
Philippines spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 69.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Philippines, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.8% less strain on fresh water
Philippines withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
use 80.0% more electricity
Philippines uses 925 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Laos uses 1,665 kWh as of 2023.
find 61.9% less home broadband
Philippines has 7.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Philippines, air pollution causes 92.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Philippines emits 1.5 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 (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Philippines vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Philippines? See an in-depth size comparison.