If you lived in Laos instead of Saint Lucia, you would:

Health

be 73.6% less likely to be obese

In Saint Lucia, 34.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 13.1% less likely to die by suicide

Saint Lucia has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 3.6 years less

In Saint Lucia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (69 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 90.0% less spent on your healthcare

Saint Lucia spends $1,228 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.

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have 92.2% fewer doctors per person

Saint Lucia has 42.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.

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have 32.5% less access to essential health services

Saint Lucia scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 87.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Saint Lucia, 9.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.

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make 84.2% less money

Saint Lucia has a GDP per capita of $14,746 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.

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Life

have 86.7% more children

In Saint Lucia, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Laos, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Saint Lucia, approximately 44.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 72.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Saint Lucia, approximately 15.8 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.

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Expenditures

spend 68.1% less on education

Saint Lucia spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 71.9% less on healthcare

Saint Lucia spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 84.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In Saint Lucia, road accidents kill 8.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 66.5% less strain on fresh water

Saint Lucia withdraws 14% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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find 80.0% less home broadband

Saint Lucia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Laos has 2.7 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Saint Lucia, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.

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emit 95.9% more CO2

Saint Lucia emits 1.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Laos emits 3.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Laos: At a glance

Laos is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 230,800 sq km. Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, established in the 14th century under King FA NGUM. For 300 years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam (Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual, limited return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1988. Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997 and the WTO in 2013.
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