Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Laos instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 71.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2024.
live 7.3 years longer
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 2.5 times more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Laos has 3.3 as of 2022.
have 26.8% more access to essential health services
Sierra Leone scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Laos scores 52 as of 2021.
be 25.4% less likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Laos, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.1% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Laos, that number is 9.2% of people as of 2024.
see 22.4% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Laos spends $123 as of 2023.
Economy
be 62.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Laos, that number is 1.2% as of 2025.
make 2.7 times more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Laos, the GDP per capita is $2,325 as of 2025.
Life
be 68.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Laos, 112.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.6% more likely to be literate
In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Laos, it is 75.6% as of 2023.
be 50.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 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.
have 30.5% fewer children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 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 2.7 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% 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 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Laos, about 65.6% do as of 2024.
be 40.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sierra Leone, approximately 68% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 57% 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 53.1% less on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Laos spends 1.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 71.8% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Laos, that number is 1.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Laos, they kill 16.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 9.6 times more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Laos withdraws 5% as of 2022.
Environment
be 28.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Laos, it causes 69.0 as of 2019.
emit 19.7 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 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), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Laos
Laos: At a glance
How big is Laos compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.